International civil society organizations: Europe should close the door to doing business with Israel

International civil society organizations have called on the European Union to ban trade with Israeli settler settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

More than 160 non-governmental organizations, trade unions and civil society organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called on the European Union to ban trade and economic cooperation with Israeli settler settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The joint letter from the organizations to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, calls on her to follow international law and end European protection and support for Zionist settlers who have invaded and occupied Palestinian land.

The letter refers to the July 2024 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that declared Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and insists that the European Union's policies violate the institution's international obligations.

These organizations have also stated that products produced in Zionist settler settlements located in the occupied Palestinian territories should not be sold on European markets because this trade is directly related to Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians.