Gaza: The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, announced that the EU has instructed its member states' ambassadors to continue working on restrictions targeting trade with Israeli settlements. Speaking at a press conference, Kallas said the European Commission had prepared several options for restricting trade with Israeli settlements at the request of the Council of the European Union in June, and that the proposals were discussed during Monday's meeting.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the options include a full or partial ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements, tighter export licensing rules, and the imposition of customs duties. Kallas emphasized that these measures are aimed at the settlements undermining the two-state solution rather than being directed against Israel itself.
Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Israeli products receive preferential tariffs under specific conditions. However, products manufactured in Israeli settlements located in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights are excluded from this preferential system, although their importation is not entirely prohibited within the EU.
EU officials have indicated that some exporters have been able to bypass the existing rules by falsely declaring the origin of products or blending goods produced in settlements with those manufactured within Israel.