European Union trade ministers are set to discuss possible trade measures targeting goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements after the European Commission presents an options paper this week.
According to European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill, the document will outline potential measures concerning products originating from Israeli settlements in occupied territories.
The proposals are expected to be discussed by EU member states during the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting scheduled for July 10.
The initiative follows requests from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and several member states for an assessment of possible actions related to products manufactured in Israeli settlements, which the European Union considers illegal under international law.
The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with annual trade exceeding 43 billion euros (approximately $49.2 billion), accounting for around 32% of Israel’s global goods trade.
According to legal nonprofit Global Echo, some Israeli exporters label fruit and vegetables grown in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as products of Israel when exporting them to European markets.
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