July 9, 2026, 6:56 p.mJuly 9, 2026, 6:56 p.m
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, here at the NATO summit in Ankara.Image: keystone
In response to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the European Commission has developed options for action for a meeting of EU foreign ministers next Monday. They include restrictions and bans on the import of goods from Israeli settlements, a spokesman for the authority said in Brussels. It was about being able to react to a deteriorating situation, they said.
Last week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as “completely unacceptable” and spoke of a despicable use of force. “This undermines the future of the two-state solution, which in our view is the only viable solution or the only path to lasting peace,” she said in a press conference and spoke of a worsening situation.
Germany is critical of sanctions
The foreign ministers of the member states will now discuss the options paper on Monday. It remains unclear whether a clear positioning will be achieved. Countries like Spain, Ireland and Belgium are calling for tough sanctions because of Israel’s settlement policy. However, Germany and others were against it until the end.
If the trade restrictions are classified as foreign policy sanctions, they could only be passed unanimously. Even if not, a qualified majority would also be needed for measures in the area of trade policy. This means that 15 of the 27 EU states would have to agree, and together they would have to represent at least 65 percent of the total EU population.
Hurdles in implementation
The news portal “Euractiv” first reported on the EU Commission’s options paper, which was classified as confidential, on Thursday. It provides several different options for action. These are a licensing system for the import of goods from Israeli settlements, punitive tariffs that are intended to displace such products on the EU market and a complete import ban, as confirmed to the German Press Agency.
However, all three options have practical hurdles, as they depend on the ability of national customs authorities to recognize products from Israeli settlements. In addition, Israeli traders could relabel goods or mix them with products from Israel.
In 1967, Israel conquered, among other things, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where today more than 700,000 settlers live among around three million Palestinians. The settlements there are illegal under international law. The Palestinians claim these areas for their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The United Nations sees the settlements as an obstacle to a two-state solution in which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would coexist peacefully. Israel’s government rejects this because it sees it as a threat to the country’s existence. (sda/dpa)