ABNA24 - Ireland is seeking to build a unified European position in response to Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, including expanding sanctions against Israel and Israeli settlers and banning settlement products and services from European Union markets.
Irish Minister of State for International Cooperation Neale Richmond said his country is working to rally European states behind coordinated economic measures in response to settlement expansion and Israeli actions in the West Bank. He stressed that the attacks involve not only the Israeli government but also settlers.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Richmond said Ireland wants the European response to begin with economic measures, noting that his country has banned imports of products originating from Israeli settlements and is seeking to persuade its European partners to take similar action.
He said the measures are intended to send a message to the Israeli government that continued settlement expansion, land annexation and violence against Palestinians are unacceptable.
Expanding sanctions
Richmond said the European Union has already imposed sanctions on individuals linked to settlement activity but called for the measures to be expanded to include more individuals and entities involved in violations against Palestinians.
He also called for a ban on trade and services linked to Israeli settlements and for reducing the trade benefits Israel receives in its relations with the European Union.
Richmond said Ireland is working with countries that share similar positions, including Spain and the Netherlands, to increase the economic impact of European measures. He stressed that Ireland would continue pushing for a position based on international law and human rights.
Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Richmond said presents an opportunity to push for a firmer European position. He said Ireland will host EU foreign ministers next week to discuss the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
Supporting UNRWA and recognition of Palestine
The Irish minister stressed the need to maintain humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, particularly support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as some European countries move to reduce their support for the agency.
He also called on the European Union to speak with one voice in multilateral forums, including by continuing to support Palestinians, recognizing the State of Palestine and putting the two-state solution back on the international agenda.
Settlement expansion threatens two-state solution
Richmond warned that settlement expansion and Israeli measures in the West Bank threaten the prospects for achieving a two-state solution, which Ireland views as the only path toward peace in the region.
He called on the European Union to revive a coordinated position on economic sanctions and sanctions against settlers, while reaffirming support for the establishment of a Palestinian state and a return to the 1967 borders as a basis for achieving regional stability.
The occupied West Bank has faced repeated Israeli raids and arrests amid escalating settler attacks against Palestinians and their property, alongside an increase in settlement construction plans approved by the Israeli government.
The developments come ahead of Israel’s general election scheduled for October 27, as parties in the government seek to attract votes from settlers in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, whose population exceeds 750,000.
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