Ramallah, Palestine – The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the Irish Parliament’s passage of a law banning the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, considering the move an important development in holding settlement activities accountable for their violation of international law.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry affirmed that the decision reflects Ireland’s commitment to the principles of international law and UN resolutions, and sends a clear message rejecting settlements and policies of imposing a fait accompli. It commended Ireland’s supportive stance on the rights of the Palestinian people.
The ministry called on other countries to take similar steps by banning trade with Israeli settlements and halting any economic activities that contribute to supporting or expanding them, stressing that such measures represent a peaceful means of exerting pressure to end the occupation and respect international law.
The Irish decision comes at a time of increasing international calls for stricter measures against settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories, amid repeated UN warnings that continued settlement expansion undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and further complicates efforts to reach a just and lasting settlement to the conflict.
