Belgium plans to ban the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements

Brussels, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Belgian government announced on the 18th that it will implement a trade ban to prohibit the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements.

According to the announcement released by the Belgian government on the same day, the Belgian government has decided to amend the import product control regulations and impose a trade ban on products originating from illegal settlements in Israel, especially in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and other areas, prohibiting the import of related products.

The announcement stated that once the ban is implemented, a 120 day transition period will be set for the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements, while exemptions will be granted to Palestinian traders and humanitarian import activities.

In the Third Middle East War in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, and built Jewish settlements, which aroused strong opposition from the Palestinian side. The international community also repeatedly called on Israel to immediately stop illegal settlement activities in the occupied areas.

After the outbreak of a new round of Israeli Palestinian conflict in October 2023, EU member states such as Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland successively announced a ban on the import of illegal settlement products from Israel. Belgium was the fifth EU member state to take similar measures.

At the EU level, in September last year, the European Commission announced a plan to suspend the tariff preferences enjoyed by Israeli goods exported to the EU, but this plan requires approval from a "qualified majority" of the EU Council before it can be implemented.