Belgium has banned the import of Israeli products manufactured in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Ireland had also introduced such restrictions.
The Belgian federal government has approved a ban on importing products manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Al Jazeera reported this.
It is noted that the decision was made at the last Cabinet meeting before the summer break. This ban is seen as the fulfillment of a promise made by the Belgian government last year, against the backdrop of Israel's military operations in Gaza.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot had previously called for the introduction of a similar ban across the European Union at a meeting in Brussels. However, member states have so far been unable to reach a unified decision on this matter.
During an investigation conducted this year by the Global Echo Litigation Center, over 30,000 documents related to exports from Israel to Europe were analyzed. It was found that products grown in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights were often labeled as products manufactured in Israel.
Belgium has joined the list of European countries taking independent measures in this regard. Previously, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Ireland had also imposed restrictions on products manufactured in Israeli settlements.
Former European officials have called on the European Union to impose a general ban on this matter, emphasizing that decisions made by individual countries have limited effect without a unified union policy.
