Gaza: The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries welcomed on Wednesday the UK's decision to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Trkiye, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed approval of the UK's move to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They also acknowledged the UK's intention to impose restrictions on services associated with these settlements.
The ministers expressed hope that this decision would encourage the international community to adopt similar actions in accordance with international law and to hold accountable organizations and individuals involved in illegal settlement activities.
Additionally, they welcomed the Joint Statement on the Two-State Solution by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. This statement confirmed their intentions to implement national and/or European restrictions on trade in goods with illegal settlements or to consider other measures following their national procedures.
The ministers urged the international community to expand on these steps and adopt measures to halt activities that support illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They emphasized that these intentions align with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, including UN Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice dated 19 July 2024.
In their statement, they reiterated the call for Israel to rescind all settlement-related measures and other actions that alter the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The ministers highlighted that Gaza is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and called for the full implementation of President Trump's Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict to ensure security, address humanitarian needs, facilitate reconstruction, and lay foundations for lasting peace.
They concluded by underscoring that the only viable path to achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace is through the two-State solution, realizing an independent Palestinian State based on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.