Pakistan, Muslim Countries Welcome UK Ban on Israeli Settlement Imports

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, along with six other Arab and Muslim countries, on Wednesday welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The UK announced the trade ban on Tuesday, alongside Canada and France. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a “blind eye” to what he described as “ethnic cleansing” by settlers in the West Bank.

Separately, the foreign ministers of 12 countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Canada, France and the United Kingdom — issued a joint statement expressing their intention to take further measures and stressing that Israel’s actions in the West Bank were undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.

A joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and released by the Foreign Office (FO), expressed hope that the international community would take similar action in accordance with international law and “hold accountable settlement organisations and individuals engaged in illegal settlement activities”.

The ministers also welcomed the earlier 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 encourage the international community to build on these steps and adopt concrete measures to bring an end to activities that support or sustain illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the FO said.

The seven countries said the UK’s decision was consistent with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in 2016.

They also said the decision was consistent with the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of July 19, 2024, which requires states “not to recognise as legal the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful occupation and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s occupation”.

“In this regard, they reiterate their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the joint statement said.

The ministers further stressed that Gaza was an integral part of Palestine and called for the “full and immediate” implementation of US President Donald Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”.

They reiterated that the only viable path to lasting and comprehensive peace was the implementation of a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law.