EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said that a majority of member states support taking action against trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, arguing that ambassadors have been tasked with advancing the issue and that an extraordinary meeting is likely.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Kallas said the European Commission had presented options to further restrict trade with illegal Israeli settlements following a request from the European Council.
"Taking action against the trade with settlements got the most support from the member states. We tasked the ambassadors to take this work forward, and probably will also have an extraordinary meeting on this," she said.
Kallas stressed that the proposed measures are directed at illegal settlements rather than Israel itself.
"These are options against the illegal settlements that undermined the two-state solution," she said.
According to Kallas, the European Commission's proposals include a full or partial ban on imports of products originating from illegal settlements, stricter export licensing requirements, and the possible use of tariffs.
She noted that all 27 EU members agree that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and that the bloc's current differentiation policy, under which settlement products are identified separately, has done little to curb trade because of inconsistent implementation.
Kallas added that there is a legal opinion suggesting the measures could be adopted through qualified majority voting.
