Brussels, Belgium. European Union foreign ministers have discussed possible restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including a full ban on imports of goods produced there. The measure received the most support during a closed-door meeting on July 13, although unanimous approval would be required.
Options presented to ministers
The discussion followed the European Commission’s presentation of several options to restrict trade with Israeli settlements, including the most far-reaching proposal of a complete import ban.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a full ban received the “most support” from foreign ministers during the Brussels meeting. However, the measure cannot proceed without unanimity among EU member states.
Commission calls for Council action
Speaking in Cork, Ireland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU capitals remained the obstacle to further action.
She said the Commission had proposed suspending trade preferences under the EU-Israel Association Agreement 10 months earlier, but national governments in the Council had not approved the proposal.
“So, you see there a lot of activity going on, but in the Council right now there is no move forward with a solution or an agreement on how to proceed,” von der Leyen said.
Parliamentary positions
Compared with 2023 and 2024, EU institutions have taken a more critical stance towards Israel, particularly over the implementation of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Last October, Members of the European Parliament from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Party (S&D), the Parliament’s second-largest political group, stressed the importance of establishing a Palestinian state to ensure long-lasting peace and security.
S&D leader Iratxe García said any peace plan should include an end to the ongoing massacre in Gaza, the delivery of humanitarian aid and a two-state solution recognising both Israel and Palestine.
Addressing a plenary session, García said: “Genocide can’t be the response to terrorism. You do not defeat terror by killing 67,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, nor by turning Gaza into a wasteland where two million people live without water, medicine, electricity, food or hope.”
