Over 160 NGOs, Trade Unions, and Civil Society Organisations, including SOLIDAR, have signed a joint letter to call on the European Union to ban all trade with Israel’s illegal settlements.

The joint letter urges the European Commission to take action to ban all trade and business between the EU and Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem. Such action is essential for the EU and its member states to comply with their obligations under international law.

On July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion affirming that states must not recognize, aid, or assist the unlawful situation arising from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. By trading with Israel’s illegal settlements, the EU, its member states and EU companies are not only breaching their own legal obligations but also contributing to the serious and systemic human rights and other international law abuses underpinning the settlement enterprise.

In light of the urgent need for compliance with international law and to halt EU, member states’ and businesses’ contribution to Israel’s serious abuses, we call on the Commission to immediately take the following actions:

1. Introduce Legislation to Ban Trade with and Investments in Settlements: Propose legal acts banning all imports and exports of goods and services from and to Israel’s illegal settlements in the OPT as well as investments therein; we note, in that regard, that the Commission has the authority to propose a ban on trade with settlements under the Common Commercial Policy, as it has acknowledged; and

2. Issue a Strengthened Business Advisory: Pending the adoption of such legislation, publish a reinforced advisory document discouraging European businesses from activities benefitting the Israeli settlements. This should go significantly further than the existing EU advisory document in order to discourage all trade with settlements (as Norway has done) and engagement with Israeli banks and enterprises operating in illegal settlements due to the significant risk of contributing to serious human rights violations and breaches of international law and ensure that the entire value chain falls under the scope of the legislation.

You can download the full joint letter and read the signatories below.