Kuwait supported the decision to impose trade restrictions on settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the move by 12 Western countries to limit trade in goods produced in the settlements.
The ministry said the decision was important in addressing Israel’s settlement policies, which violate international law and international legitimacy resolutions.
Western countries restrict settlement products
The foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the two-state solution.
In response to the Israeli government’s actions, the unprecedented levels of settler violence and the expansion of settlements, the ministers decided to impose restrictions on trade in goods produced in settlements established in the Palestinian territories.
Kuwait calls for international action
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the move as part of the international momentum created by the recognition of an independent Palestinian state by several countries. The ministry said this momentum aimed to bring the Palestinian state into effect on the ground.
The ministry also called on more countries to adopt similar measures. Kuwait firmly rejected attempts to annex the Palestinian territories and opposed the forcible displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza and the West Bank.
Kuwait’s support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people was reaffirmed. These rights include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
EU considers trade options
The European Union has in recent months discussed options for restricting trade with the settlements. These options include a total or partial ban on imports of settlement products, tighter export rules and the imposition of customs duties.
Attacks increase in the West Bank
Attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank increased after Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 8, 2023. They included the killing and detention of Palestinians, the demolition of homes and other structures, the burning of mosques and vehicles, the destruction of agricultural land and preventing farmers from reaching their land.
Palestinians were forcibly displaced in the West Bank, while settlements were expanded. Approximately 750,000 settlers live in 156 settlements and 360 illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Palestinians warn that attacks by the Israeli army and settlers are laying the groundwork for the formal annexation of the West Bank. Such a move would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state envisaged in United Nations resolutions.
