EU organization endorses boycott of Israeli settlement products

A major European trade union organization has boycotted products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling on the European Union’s member states to ban the import and export of such commodities.

The decision was made on Thursday during the 15th session of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)’s congress in Berlin, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.

“During the congress, the ETUC called for regulatory measures to prevent EU legal entities from importing or exporting products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in accordance with EU treaties and international law,” the news agency said.

The organization cited the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank under international law, also supporting the right of the Palestinian people to have an independent state with the occupied al-Quds as its capital.

“The participants called on the European Union countries to ensure that the geographical scope of the EU’s association agreements is respected,” Wafa added.

The confederation, which represents over 45 million European workers and their trade unions, also stressed the need for achieving a “two-state solution,” and the establishment of a lasting peace in the Palestinian territories.

The announcement came a day after Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU’s ambassador to Palestine, condemned the Israeli regime’s plans for the construction of nearly 600 new illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has approved a proposal to invest 29 million Israeli shekels ($8 million) to develop the historic town of Sebastia, north of Nablus, to allow more settlers to reach the area and to decrease Palestinian’s access there.

Israel occupied the West Bank, including the western part of the holy city of al-Quds, in 1967. It later annexed East al-Quds, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

Since then, more than 600,000 Israelis have moved into over 230 settlements on occupied land. All settlements are illegal under international law and have been criticized by the UN Security Council in several resolutions.