Foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) will discuss proposals to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements and suspend political dialogue with Israel, reports Al Jazeera.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced he is proposing the measures because of the many violations of international law committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon.
The EU has imposed many sanctions – from visa bans and “terrorist” designations to import restrictions and sanctions – in other cases of violations of international law, but “until now Israel has been spared from any meaningful consequences”.
“This has to change. This is why I have proposed an import ban on illegal settlement products, based on the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, similar to the existing import ban on products from occupied Ukrainian territories – because even-handedness is the lynchpin of Europe’s credibility.”
Borrell said he will also propose a suspension of political dialogue with Israel to EU member states.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
