EU countries consider sanctions on trade from illegal Israeli settlements

Pressure from EU member states to impose sanctions has increased in recent months amid escalating settler violence.

The European Union’s foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss imposing sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Pressure from EU member states to impose sanctions has increased in recent months due to escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property and the Israeli government’s continued expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law.

A senior EU diplomat said the European Commission drafted a paper outlining possible approaches and many options are on the table on Monday, including an import licensing system, prohibitive tariffs or a ban, the Reuters news agency reported.

“Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable,”  EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of the meeting in Brussels.

“What is happening in the West Bank is actually making it more and more impossible that the two-state solution ever can come into effect,” Kallas said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a diplomat told Reuters: “I ⁠think what you will see on Monday is a discussion on the options, and we will get a bit of a ⁠picture of where everybody is.”

Diplomats said they did not expect a formal decision on any particular measure but the meeting would help to sound out if there is enough support to move forward.

There’s lack of unity in Brussels as to whether any penalty would need backing from all ۲۷ member states or just a weighted majority.

Some diplomats said banning trade with Israeli settlements would require a qualified majority of at least ۱۵ EU states, representing ۶۵ percent of the bloc’s population.

But the commission’s paper suggested it believes a ban could require unanimous support, a ‌bar ‌the bloc would be highly unlikely to clear.

Spain, Ireland and Belgium have called for severe sanctions to be imposed on Israel due to its settlement policy while others, including Germany and Italy, are undecided on such a step.

“There have been a lot of asks and requests from the member states regarding the ban of the trade with illegal settlements,” Kallas said.

“Let’s see if these options that have been provided now will have a stronger push from member states,” she added.

Illegal settlements

Israel has occupied the West Bank since ۱۹۶۷. More than ۵۰۰,۰۰۰ Israeli settlers live in the territory, excluding occupied East Jerusalem, among about three million Palestinians.

In a July ۲۰۲۴ advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice said Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and its settlements in the West Bank are illegal and states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help maintain the situation.

Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements.

Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed and saying a Jewish presence has existed there for thousands of years.