08/09/2026
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08/09/2026
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GENEVA, Sep 8: The UN human rights office on Tuesday welcomed plans by 12 countries to impose national restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements, saying such measures could help efforts to end violence and the occupation in the West Bank.
UN human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said the deteriorating situation in the West Bank requires “urgent and concrete measures,” adding that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk was reiterating his call for third countries to take meaningful steps to end the violence and occupation.
“Steps such as those announced today contribute to that end,” Laurence said in a written statement to Anadolu.
The office referred to a July 2024 opinion by the International Court of Justice, which said states should prevent trade and investment relations that help maintain Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. It also cited a September 2024 UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to imports of products originating from Israeli settlements.
Laurence said the High Commissioner was urging all states to conduct “rigorous, comprehensive, transparent assessments” of measures they could take to ensure they do not contribute to entrenching what the UN considers Israel’s unlawful presence in the territory.
On Monday, Türk told the UN Human Rights Council that companies should end business practices that support Israeli settlements.
The 12 countries — France, the UK, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Canada — announced plans to introduce national restrictions on settlement-related trade or support broader European measures.
In a joint declaration, the countries said the situation in the West Bank was “rapidly deteriorating,” citing increased settler violence and continued settlement expansion.
They also opposed any measures leading to the annexation of Palestinian land or the forced displacement of Palestinians, while calling on Israel to halt settlement expansion and the transfer of civilian administrative powers.
The countries further called for settlers responsible for violence to be held accountable and urged investigations into allegations involving Israeli forces.
