Shafaqna Pakistan: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Wednesday welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to restrict imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and shared by the Foreign Office, the countries expressed hope that the move would encourage the international community to take similar measures in accordance with international law.
The ministers also called for accountability for settlement organisations and individuals involved in illegal settlement activities.
The statement welcomed Britain’s decision to ban imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and impose restrictions on services linked to such settlements. It urged other countries to adopt comparable measures to uphold international law and address settlement-related activities.
The statement noted that the ministers also welcomed the “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,” it added.
The FO said that the ministers considered the announced intentions to be in line with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including United Nations Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024, including the obligation of all 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 read.
According to the joint statement, the ministers underscored that Gaza was an “integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, further calling for the full and immediate implementation of President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, to ensure security and stability, address the humanitarian situation, facilitate reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.
The ministers also underscored that the only viable path to achieving a “just, lasting, and comprehensive peace” was the implementation of the two-state solution, through the realisation of an “independent, sovereign, contiguous, and viable Palestinian State”, based on June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
The FO also welcomed Britain’s actions earlier in a separate statement.
It stated that the continued expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “constitutes a blatant violation of international law as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions”, adding that such illegal actions were undermining international efforts aimed at achieving a “two-state solution as well as peace and stability in the region”.
It added that Pakistan also welcomed the announcement by several other countries, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, to consider similar measures and support such efforts against the illegal Israeli settlements.
The FO further said that Pakistan hoped that these measures would send a “clear and unequivocal message of rejection of illegal actions” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The statement noted that Pakistan had been and would continue to stand by the people of Palestine in their “just struggle for self-determination” and continue to support all efforts aimed at the establishment of a “sovereign, independent, and contiguous Palestinian state” based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
On Tuesday, the UK announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in coordination with France and Canada, the latest sanctions to target Israel as it faced growing diplomatic isolation.
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said Britain could no longer simply “call out” injustice and suffering, but told the House of Commons that the country now had to “act” to oppose the expansion of settlements.
“Today we refuse to be bystanders to further suffering and to the destruction of the two-state solution,” Miliband said, referring to Britain’s long-held support for the two-state idea, which Israel opposes.
Miliband, who became Britain’s foreign minister in July, also said Britain’s position was that the occupation in the West Bank was unlawful, and that London believed that there was ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank.
The impact on the £6 billion ($8.12 billion) of annual bilateral trade was likely to be minimal, with details unclear on how the UK would differentiate between goods originating in West Bank settlements and products made in Israel.
Meanwhile, 12 countries also announced plans to introduce national restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements that were illegal under international law.
Source: Express Tribune
