Countries wants to stop assisting Israel in its occupation of Palestinian land
In a post on social media today, Belgian Foreign Minister/ deputy prime minister Maxime Prevot has announced that Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Sweden and Slovenia want an investigation into goods traded with Israel to find out if they are being used by Israeli settlers to further the occupation of Palestinian territory.
The request – in the form of a letter sent to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas – follows an opinion by the International Court of Justice, which “clearly states that third countries must refrain from any trade or investment that helps sustain an illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian territory”.
In the view of the Belgian minister, “upholding international law is a shared responsibility. In a rules based international order legal clarity must guide political choices . A united European approach can help ensure that our policies reflect our values.”
Since Israel began its invasion of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, on the basis of releasing hostages taken by radical Hamas operatives after the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and violence against the Palestinian population, has also increased, writes Lusa today.
Reuters develops the story, saying that it has seen the letter sent by the nine foreign ministers, including Portugal’s Paulo Rangel.
The text says: “We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court.”
Israel’s diplomatic mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment, adds Reuters, which has been in touch with Maxime Prevot, who told them: “This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation.”
The nine ministers’ letter comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday (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, Reuters concludes.
