Belgium has approved a ban on importing goods produced in Israeli settlements to help preserve the viability of a future two-state solution.
Belgium’s federal government has approved a ban on importing goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The move fulfills a commitment made by the country last year following the scale of the bombardment in Gaza. This decision follows a Global Echo Litigation Center investigation which revealed that nearly one in five agricultural shipments bound for the EU contained goods grown in settlements. The ban arrives as the European Union remains divided on how to address settlement expansion. While the EU has urged Israel to halt unilateral measures that threaten the two-state solution, member states have struggled to reach a consensus on a bloc-wide trade restriction. Belgium joins Spain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia in acting independently. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, stated that the current situation in the West Bank is making it increasingly difficult for a two-state solution to come into effect. The move signals a shift toward practical trade policy, similar to previous restrictions on conflict minerals and forced labor.