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A group of nine European Union member states has urged the European Commission to propose measures that would halt trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.
The request was made in a formal letter addressed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, and signed by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The European Union remains Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for roughly one-third of its total trade in goods. In 2024, bilateral goods trade between the EU and Israel reached €42.6 billion (approximately $48.91 billion), though the extent of commerce involving products from settlements was not specified.
The ministers cited a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which concluded that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories violate international law. The ICJ further advised that states must avoid trade or investment practices that could sustain such illegal activities.
The letter represents a growing push within the EU to align trade practices with international legal standards amid heightened scrutiny of Israel’s actions in the occupied territories.
”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.
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More Shorts”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.
With inputs from agencies