Nine European Union (EU) member states have demanded the European Commission to propose measures to end trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday, the foreign ministers of Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden made the request, addressing the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
Halting Trade
The nine countries asked the bloc to come up with proposals on how to halt trade with the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, citing a July 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ advisory opinion stated that Israel’s settlements and occupation of Palestinian territories are in violation of international law. It also urged states to take actions to suspend trade or investment ties that could contribute to sustaining this situation.
A Call for Action
In their letter to Kallas, the ministers urged the EU to act towards concrete measures to ensure the bloc’s adherence with the ICJ’s rulings. “We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,” the ministers said in the letter.
“We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court,” the letter added.
EU-Israeli Trade
According to the European Commission data, the EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for 32% of Israel’s total trade in goods in 2024. The bloc was the source of 34.2% of Israel’s imports and the recipient of 28.8% of the country’s exports.
In 2024, the total trade in goods between the EU and Israel reached €42.6 billion. The top traded goods between the EU and Israel included machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, and other manufactured goods.
Reassessing Ties
The relations between the EU and Israel are governed by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into effect in 2000 and has since regulated the relations between the bloc and Israel across various fields.
The Association Agreement also states that relations between both sides should be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.
The foreign ministers letter came ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23, 2025, which will discuss the bloc’s relations with Israel. The meeting will take place upon the request of EU ministers who demanded a review of the Association Agreement in May in light of the “catastrophic situation” in Gaza.
During the meeting, the ministers will receive an assessment on whether Israel is complying with a human rights clause in its agreement with the EU.
Compliance with International Law
Commenting on the letter, the Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, noted that the EU must ensure that the bloc’s trade policies are in compliance with the international law.
“Trade cannot be disconnected from our legal and moral responsibilities,” he told Reuters. “This is about ensuring that EU policies do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to the perpetuation of an illegal situation,” he added.
In May 2025, Israel announced plans to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a controversial move backed by the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, and Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel has built about 160 settlements, housing some 700,000 Jews, since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, according to BBC. The international law deems settlements illegal. However, successive Israeli governments have allowed settlements to expand, most notably since the return of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to power in late 2022.
