CAIRO / Anadolu

On Sunday, Egypt called on European Union countries and the international community to ban the import of goods and products from Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territories, following Belgium's lead.

On Saturday, the Belgian government announced a ban on imports of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the Belgian news agency Belga.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that this step "represents support for the values of justice and a practical and responsible application of the principles of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, foremost among them UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirms the illegality of settlements and demands their immediate halt to avoid undermining peace opportunities and the two-state solution."

Egypt called on European Union countries and the international community to take similar legal measures to ban settlement products.

It stressed that achieving security and peace in the Middle East "will only come through ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights, foremost among them establishing their independent sovereign state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

The Belga agency explained that the Belgian decision was taken during the last cabinet meeting before the summer break, while details of its implementation mechanism or how to enforce it on the ground have not yet been announced.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and the construction of settlements in the West Bank are illegal, and that states should take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that help sustain this situation.

About 750,000 settlers live in 141 settlements and 224 outposts in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and commit attacks aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.

Since October 2023, the West Bank has seen an escalation in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers, resulting in the killing of 1,181 Palestinians and injury of about 13,000, in addition to the arrest of nearly 24,000 Palestinians.