The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia welcome the decision of the United Kingdom government to ban imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to introduce restrictions on services linked to such settlements.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the ministers view these measures as an important step towards upholding international law and promoting accountability for settlement-related activities.
They express the hope that the United Kingdom’s decision will encourage the international community to take similar measures and hold accountable settlement organisations and individuals engaged in illegal settlement activities.
The ministers also welcome the Joint Statement on the Two-State Solution issued by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
They note the participating countries’ intention to introduce national measures and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements that are illegal under international law, while actively considering these and other measures in accordance with their respective national procedures.
Further, the ministers urge the international community to build on these steps and adopt concrete measures to end activities that support or sustain illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
They affirm that these announced measures are consistent with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), as well as the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024.
They recall the obligation of all States not to recognise as lawful the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful occupation and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by that occupation.
In this regard, they reiterate their call on Israel to rescind all measures related to settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The ministers underscore that Gaza is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and call for the full and immediate implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, to ensure security and stability, address the humanitarian situation, facilitate reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.
They also reaffirm that the only viable path to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace is the implementation of the two-State solution, including the realisation of an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian State on the basis of the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
