Qatar is calling on more nations around the world to stop trading with Israeli settlements, following decisions by the Netherlands and Belgium to prohibit such commerce. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement last week praising both European governments and encouraging other countries to do the same.
“The State of Qatar welcomes the bans by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium on Israeli settlement products,” the ministry stated. The government described the actions as “a crucial step that supports efforts aimed at deterring the occupation’s settlement policies, which flagrantly violate the resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly Security Council Resolution 2334.”
The ministry went further, saying “the international community must undertake its legal and moral responsibilities to compel Israel to halt its settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
The Dutch restrictions are set to go into effect on September 22 and will block the import, purchase, and sale of goods produced in Israeli settlements. Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen informed parliament that the policy will also prohibit brokering services tied to settlement trade and will extend to Dutch companies doing business outside the country. The lower house of the Dutch parliament, known as the Tweede Kamer, voted in favor of the ban last year.
Belgium moved forward with its own ban on July 18, making it part of a wider set of measures directed at Israel.
With these two countries now on board, Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia are no longer the only European nations to have placed restrictions on trade involving Israeli settlements. Some governments are pushing for a ban across the entire European Union, though that effort has encountered resistance from Germany and Italy.
Qatar’s statement also reaffirmed what it described as its “iron-clad and enduring position” supporting a two-state solution, calling for an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem serving as its capital.
