EU discusses sanctions on Israeli settlements

BRUSSELS, July 13 (YPA) – EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels discussed imposing a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, among options for tightening measures against settlement activity, which the EU considers illegal under international law.

 

The settlements issue topped the meeting’s agenda, with foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asserting that the situation in the West Bank was “intolerable.”

 

She indicated that ministers would discuss several options, most notably restricting trade with settlements, while member states remained divided on the nature of the sanctions.

 

Countries like Belgium and Ireland support tightening measures, while others, including the Czech Republic, oppose them, making executive decisions during the meeting unlikely.

 

This comes as the donors’ conference for the Palestinian territories is being held in Brussels. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, a young Palestinian man was shot and wounded by settlers near Hebron, and another was arrested during a raid by the Israeli army.