Over 160 human rights organisations, unions, and civil society groups have called on the European Union to impose a ban on trade and business dealings with Israeli settlements built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the groups stressed the necessity for the EU and its member states to uphold their obligations under international law and cease supporting the extremist settlements and the abuses they perpetrate.
Among the signatories are prominent NGOs, including ActionAid, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, al-Haq, Caritas Europa, Child Rights International Network (CRIN), Defense for Children International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Olof Palmes International Center, Oxfam, and Pax Christi.
The letter referenced last year's advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, which affirmed that all states have an obligation "to refrain from entering into economic or commercial agreements with Israel concerning the [OPT] or parts of it that could strengthen its illegal presence on the territory." The letter criticised the EU's current policy of distinguishing between goods produced in Israel and those produced in the settlements, stating that this distinction, while denying preferential trade conditions for settlement goods, still allows these products to enter the EU market.
The signatories further highlighted that by trading with illegal Israeli settlements, the EU, its member states, and businesses are not only breaching their legal obligations but are also contributing to systemic human rights violations and other breaches of international law. "Despite the EU's consensus on the illegality of settlements and their association with serious violations, the EU continues to engage in trade and business with them, thereby perpetuating the grave violations of human rights and international law intrinsically linked to the establishment and expansion of the settlements."
The letter calls for immediate legislative action by the European Commission to ban trade and investment in settlements and to issue a strengthened advisory document discouraging European businesses from operating in settlements.
Over 700,000 Israelis currently live in more than 230 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The international community considers these settlements illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their construction on occupied Palestinian land.
