Import ban on goods from illegal settlements in West Bank: Pakistan among 8 states welcomes UK’s decision

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim countries, has welcomed the United Kingdom’s ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, calling for similar international action and stressing that a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace, a joint statement simultaneously released here on Wednesday said.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates welcomed the decision of the Government of the United Kingdom to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to introduce restrictions on services linked to such settlements, and expressed the hope that this decision will help mobilize the international community to take similar actions in line with international law and hold accountable settlement organizations and individuals engaged in illegal settlement activities.

The Ministers also welcome the Joint Statement on the Two-State Solution issued by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, confirming their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements that are illegal under international law, or to actively consider these and other measures in accordance with their respective national procedures, the joint statement added.

They encourage the international community to build on these steps and adopt concrete measures to bring an end to activities that support or sustain illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The foreign ministers considered the announced intentions to be in line with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including United Nations Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024, including the obligation of all States not to recognize as legal the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful occupation and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s occupation. In this regard, they reiterated their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The Ministers underscored that Gaza is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and called for the full and immediate implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, to ensure security and stability, address the humanitarian situation, facilitate reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.

The Ministers underscored that the only viable path to achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace is the implementation of the two-state solution, through the realisation of an independent, sovereign, contiguous, and viable Palestinian State, based on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026