More than 160 NGOs and trade unions urged the European Union (EU) to ban trade and business dealings with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The signatories include a range of NGOs, trade unions, and civil society organizations (CSOs), such as ActionAid, Human Rights Watch, Action, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Caritas Europe, Child Rights International Network (CRIN), Defense for Children International, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Olof Palmes Internationella Center, Oxfam, and Pax Christi.

In a letter directed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the organizations called for measures to align with international law and end Europe’s involvement in supporting the illegal settlement enterprise and its associated violations.

"We, the undersigned human rights organizations, trade unions, and civil society groups, urge the European Commission to take action to ban all trade and business between the EU and Israel's illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem," the letter stated.

The groups emphasized that such action is of utmost importance for the EU to comply with based on their obligations under international law. Thus, the EU’s current policy of differentiating between goods produced in occupied Palestine and those produced in illegal settlements falls short of these obligations, the statement explained. 

Not only does this policy contradict international law obligations but also those established by the International Court of Justice, both of which require a "complete ban on trade and business with Israel’s illegal settlements."

Contributions to human rights abuses 

Moreover, the signatories underscored that the bloc and its member states' trade with Israeli illegal settlements also contribute to active and significant human rights violations.  

"Despite EU consensus about the settlements’ illegality and their link to serious abuses, the EU continues to trade and allow business with them, helping to sustain the serious human rights and international law violations inexorably intertwined with settlements’ maintenance and expansion," the letter read. 

The NGOs urged the European Commission (EC) to introduce Legislation to Ban Trade with and Investments in Settlements" and a "Strengthened Business Advisory" which mitigates and bans trade with illegal settlements, as well as investments therein. 

This should go significantly further than the existing EU advisory document to discourage all trade with settlements and engagement with Israeli banks and enterprises operating in illegal settlements due to the significant risk of contributing to grave human rights violations and breaches of international law, as well as ensure that the entire value chain falls under the scope of the legislation, the letter concluded. 

It is noteworthy that the international community, including "Israel's" biggest ally, the United States, as well as the European Union, considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of an occupying power's population into the territory it occupies.

Read more: Israeli occupation's settlement expansion erases Palestinian villages

Norway discourages business, trade with Israeli settlements

The Norwegian government previously advised its enterprises against engaging in trade and economic operations that contribute to the continued existence of Israeli settlements, reinforcing its current position, Bloomberg reported. 

Norwegian firms have requested preliminary guidance from authorities, the government said in a statement, after other nations sanctioned what they call "extremist settlers" for their human rights abuses against Palestinians.

According to the government, there is a risk that businesses are "contributing to violations of international humanitarian law or human rights" through their financial and business interactions in settlements.

Norway has been firm in its position that the settlements in the West Bank, including East al-Quds, violate international law, particularly humanitarian law and human rights. 

Read more: Israeli financial system shows ties to settler projects in West Bank