EU foreign policy chief backs ‘principled’ trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has backed a bloc-wide ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling it a justified “principled stance.”

In an interview with The Irish Times on Thursday, Kallas said there was broad agreement among EU foreign ministers that expanding Israeli settlements violated international law.

“When Crimea was occupied, then it was very clear -- it’s illegal, we don’t recognize this,” she said. “We should have the same principled stance -- you know this is illegal, everybody agrees, so we should stop trading with Occupied (Palestinian) Territories.”

Kallas said an EU ban on imports from Israeli settlements would not require the unanimous backing of all 27 member states.

As the proposed ban could be introduced as a trade measure rather than a foreign policy decision, it would require a qualified majority of at least 15 member states representing roughly two-thirds of the bloc’s population.

The EU has previously struggled to approve sanctions against Israel because foreign policy measures require unanimity.

Kallas said the European Commission was under “very clear” pressure from national governments to propose a settlement trade ban and that EU foreign ministers were waiting for the bloc’s executive body to act.

Although the volume of trade originating from Israeli settlements was limited, a ban would deliver an important symbolic message, she added.

Kallas acknowledged that member states had differing positions on relations with Israel and said there were “pros and cons” to acting before Israel’s parliamentary elections in late October.

She added that EU members agreed on supporting a two-state solution and ensuring that humanitarian aid reached Palestinians without being politicized.