The European Union (EU) must impose a total ban on Israeli settlement products entering its markets and ensure that Israeli companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories are not benefitting from EU-Israel trade agreements, according to a new report.
"Given that trading in settlement goods amounts to a form of recognition and supports the sustainability of entities that violate peremptory norms of international law, a ban on settlement produce… is to be considered amongst those actions that Third Party States should undertake to comply with their customary international law obligations," the report, written by Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, states.
The report, entitled "Feasting on the Occupation: Illegality of Settlement Produce and the Responsibility of EU Member States under International Law," was released on Monday.
The boycott of settlement goods and companies is lawful, the report says, since Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, actively denying Palestinians the right to self-determination, and incuring the destruction and unlawful use of local resources, including water resources.
According to Al Haq Director Shawan Jabarin, EU imports of settlement products "help to sustain their very existence. "As things stand, the EU is doing little more than ticking a box by acknowledging that settlements are illegal. Until they support this rhetoric with action and ensure that no assistance or recognition are provided to settlements, even indirectly, any such criticism will continue to be meaningless," Jabarin said.
Read more: EU urged to ban Israeli settlement products - Features - Al Jazeera English
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