Brussels – “The EU urgently needs to increase pressure on Israel
to halt its settlement policy and practices,” according to France and Sweden. The two countries are calling for sanctions against settlements and settlers, through a document urging the European Commission to “o urgently consider
the legal and practical feasibility of introducing measures such as
tariffs on settlement products and import restrictions through export
licenses.” The content of the non-paper submitted by the two delegations at the EU Foreign Council meeting in Luxembourg shows a European Union finally determined to take action against Israel. The non-paper is, by its nature, an informal, non-binding document, but it is nonetheless a text of political significance that, in this case, calls on all EU members to take action.
“Sweden is deeply concerned about developments in the West Bank and the expansion of Israeli settlements,” Stockholm’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said. “That is why, together with France, we have tabled this document.” The aim is to “restrict” trade flows with Israeli areas that the EU does not recognize and which, on the contrary, are officially considered “illegal.”
The European Union continues to support a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians through a two-state solution, but “Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank seriously undermines this vision,” states the preamble to the Franco-Swedish document, which ultimately amounts to a direct criticism of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The final straw that broke the camel’s back was the latest announcements regarding the decision to proceed with the establishment of 30 new colonies in the West Bank. France and Sweden believe that “the ever and fast deteriorating situation calls for such action,” namely, decisive sanctions. Hence, the call to proceed. “We would welcome concrete proposals…on different options for discussions in the
Council in the coming weeks,” they said. At least on the issue of settlement policy, the EU is trying to speak out.
