Foreign ministers from 12 Western countries announced on Tuesday restrictions on trade in goods with settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories .
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This came in a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom regarding the two-state solution.
The ministers said that “the actions of the Israeli government in the West Bank are undermining the possibility of a two-state solution. The situation is rapidly deteriorating amid unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion, including the unacceptable decision to publish tenders for the E1 settlement project east of East Jerusalem.”
They added: “British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed on the need to take action to prevent further damage.”
Joint Statement: Today, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom reaffirm their intention to impose national restrictions and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements that are illegal under international law, or that they are seriously considering such and other measures.
They noted that “today, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom affirm their intention to impose national restrictions and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements that are illegal under international law, or that they are seriously considering such and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures.”
They said: “In this regard, the United Kingdom, France and Canada welcome the important actions already taken by Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium, and will introduce national measures to ban trade in settlement goods.”
They added: “Together, we are determined to protect the two-state solution, and we will take the necessary steps to achieve a just and lasting peace, based on the principles set out in the New York Declaration adopted a year ago. We strongly oppose any measures that amount to the annexation of Palestinian territory and the forced displacement of the Palestinian population.”
Palestinian welcome
The Palestinian Presidency welcomed the joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of 12 countries regarding the protection of the two-state solution, the rejection of settlement activity, annexation, and the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, and the prohibition of trade with Israeli settlements.
The Presidency commended “the determination of these countries to impose national restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and to support taking similar measures at the European level, considering this an important practical step to hold the settlement system accountable, and to embody non-recognition of the illegal situation arising from the occupation . ”
The Presidency affirmed that the Israeli decision “to publish tenders for the implementation of the settlement plan called ( E1 ), along with settlement expansion, the escalation of settler terrorism, and the transfer of more powers in the occupied West Bank, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, a direct threat to the unity of the Palestinian land, and aims to entrench annexation and undermine the possibility of embodying an independent Palestinian state . ”
The Presidency called on the countries that signed the statement, the European Union and the entire international community to expedite the transformation of these positions into binding measures, including banning dealings and trade with settlements, imposing sanctions on extremist settlers and their supporters, and holding the Israeli government accountable for its ongoing violations .
For his part, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the statement.
The Sheikh said that the practical steps outlined in the statement by the countries targeting settlement products represent “a move in the right direction.”
But he stressed the need to move from “condemnation and political stances” to “binding and decisive” measures to stop settlement expansion and the de facto annexation of West Bank lands.
He called for the enforcement of respect for international legitimacy, international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and for holding perpetrators of “settler terrorism and violence” accountable.
He stressed that the Israeli occupation government’s continued settlement plans, particularly the E1 project, threaten to fragment Palestinian land and separate the northern West Bank from its south, and seriously undermine the possibility of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state.
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