EU mulls ban on imports from Israeli settlements

A ban on importing goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to the European Union has moved a step closer after foreign ministers of the bloc's 27 member states overwhelmingly backed tighter trade restrictions.

Although support is not yet unanimous, as it would need to be for action to be taken, it is reported that Monday's ministerial meeting saw the highest level of support yet for a ban to be imposed.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal, and a range of economic measures was presented to ministers at the meeting. "The option that got the most support was banning the trade with the illegal settlements," the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas told reporters afterward.

The EU Observer website says that there are 45 settler firms exporting agricultural produce and construction equipment to the EU, and trade between the whole of Israel and the EU grew from 42.6 billion euros ($48.5 billion) in 2024 to 43.3 billion euros in 2025, although it is hard to specify how much of that comes from settlements.

The next scheduled meeting of EU foreign ministers is not until October, shortly before elections take place in Israel, which could make any EU decisions over the issue particularly politically sensitive, so Kallas said an extraordinary ministerial meeting may happen before then to try and move the matter forward.

A stumbling block in the path of any potential ban is whether it would come under the remit of being a foreign policy decision, which would require unanimity, or a trade matter, which would not.

Countries that want to see the ban imposed, including Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland and Luxembourg, say it should be a trade issue, in which case there is likely to be enough support already for a ban to be feasible. Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic are believed to be among those with reservations.

The foreign ministers of Spain and Belgium expressed their frustration at the lack of clarity over the matter coming from the top of the EU.

"I am concerned that we are engaging in delay tactics, debating endlessly without taking action, when such debate is not actually necessary," said Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. "A decision not to trade would simply be an application of international law."

"(Delaying) gives me the sense that it's more a bone to chew on, than a desire to really move forward," added Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

Relations between the EU and Israel were already at a low point after last month, when Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he was cutting off all contact with Kallas for reportedly drawing comparisons between Israel and the South African apartheid regime.

He accused her of "for some time now … acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel", and said he would have no contact with her "until she retracts the blood libel".

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com