Latest news with #IsraeliSettlements
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
EU countries seek ban on trade with illegal zones of Israel
BRUSSELS: Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements. The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation. 'We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,' the ministers wrote. 'We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court,' they added. Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law. 'Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities,' the minister said in a statement to Reuters. 'This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation,' he said. The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel. Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza.
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
EU's failure to propose ways to cut trade with illegal Israeli settlements criticised by nine foreign ministers
The European Commission's failure to bring forward proposals to 'discontinue' trade between the EU and illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territories has been criticised by Spain, Ireland and seven other member states. The nine foreign ministers, in a joint letter seen by The Irish Times, take aim at the slow progress in cutting off indirect economic support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank and other Palestinian territory. They say firmer action is needed from the EU in response to findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year, that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem was unlawful . In their June 16th letter, the ministers say the ICJ opinion put greater obligations on governments to make sure they were not entrenching the illegal settlements through trade links or other ties. READ MORE They criticised the commission, the EU's executive arm, which sets trade policy, for not doing enough in response to the court's decision. 'We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,' the letter states. The nine ministers call for the commission to carry out an 'in-depth analysis' into the implications the ICJ opinion had for other governments' relations with Israel. The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. It was sent to commission president Ursula von der Leyen , EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. 'We are committed to respect, and where relevant, implementing the conclusions put forward by the [ICJ] in its advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,' the letter says. [ EU should consider ending visa-free travel for Israeli settlers, academics say Opens in new window ] Several governments are to push for Israel to be penalised for its conduct during its 20-month invasion of the Gaza Strip , when the 27 EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday. A review into whether Israel's war in Gaza has breached human rights commitments it made in a free-trade agreement with the EU will be presented to ministers at the meeting. Some ministers are expected to call for action to be taken against Israel, to pressure the Israeli government to stop choking off the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where aid agencies continue to warn the civilian population still lacks food, fuel and medicine. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which began after the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7th, 2023. While a growing number of EU states have been advocating for the EU to take a stronger stance against Israel, others, such as Hungary, Germany and Czechia, have pushed back in support of Israel.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
9 EU Countries Call for Talks on Ending Trade with Israeli Settlements
Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements. The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation. "We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements," the ministers wrote. "We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court," they added. Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law. "Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities," the minister said in a statement to Reuters. "This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation," he said. The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel. Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nine EU countries call for talks on ending trade with Israeli settlements
By Lili Bayer BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements. The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation. "We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements," the ministers wrote. "We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court," they added. Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law. "Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities," the minister said in a statement to Reuters. "This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation," he said. The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel. Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza. ($1 = 0.8710 euros)
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Nine EU countries call for talks on ending trade with Israeli settlements
BRUSSELS, June 19 (Reuters) - Nine European Union countries have called on the European Commission to come up with proposals on how to discontinue EU trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The letter, addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting about a third of its total goods trade. Two-way goods trade between the bloc and Israel stood at 42.6 billion euros ($48.91 billion) last year, though it was unclear how much of that trade involved settlements. The ministers pointed to a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal. It said states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation. "We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements," the ministers wrote. "We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court," they added. Israel's diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Europe must ensure trade policy is in line with international law. "Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities," the minister said in a statement to Reuters. "This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation," he said. The ministers' letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23 where EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc's relationship with Israel. Ministers are expected to receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in a pact governing its political and economic ties with Europe, after the bloc decided to review Israel's adherence to the agreement due to the situation in Gaza. ($1 = 0.8710 euros)
