Qatar Welcomes Dutch, Belgian Bans on Israeli Settlement Products
By The Media Line Staff
Qatar called on more countries to prohibit trade with Israeli settlements after the Netherlands and Belgium approved measures banning settlement products, describing the decisions as an important step toward increasing pressure on Israel.
A statement was issued by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week welcomed the actions taken by the two European governments and urging additional states to follow their lead.
“The State of Qatar welcomes the bans by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium on Israeli settlement products,” the ministry said. It described the measures 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 also said, “the international community must undertake its legal and moral responsibilities to compel Israel to halt its settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Dutch restrictions are scheduled to take effect Sept. 22and will prohibit the import, purchase and sale of settlement goods. Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen told parliament the policy will also bar brokering services connected to settlement trade and will apply to Dutch companies operating outside the country.
Last year, the majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, approved the ban.
Belgium enacted its own ban on July 18 as part of a broader package of measures targeting Israel.
With the Dutch and Belgian decisions, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia are no longer the only European countries to have adopted restrictions on trade involving Israeli settlements. The measures come as some governments seek to advance a European Union-wide ban, an effort that has faced opposition from Germany and Italy.
In its statement, Qatar also reiterated what it called its “iron-clad and enduring position” in favor of a two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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