Cairo, July 23 (Petra)– The Arab League has welcomed decisions by
the Netherlands and Belgium to ban the import, purchase and sale of
products originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied
Palestinian territories, describing the move as a positive step
toward strengthening respect for international law and international
legitimacy.
The League’s Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Palestine
and Occupied Arab Territories Sector said that any economic or
commercial dealings with illegal Israeli settlements violate states’
obligations under international law not to recognize unlawful
situations resulting from the Israeli occupation or provide support
that helps sustain them.
He noted that the position is based on international law and relevant
United Nations resolutions, particularly UN Security Council
Resolution 2334 (2016), as well as the advisory opinion issued by the
International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from
Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian
territory.
The Arab League’s General Secretariat said the measures adopted by
the Netherlands and Belgium provide a practical example of
translating international legal obligations into concrete action. It
called on other countries, particularly European Union member states,
to adopt similar measures to prevent illegal settlements from
benefiting from international markets and to help curb settlement
expansion, annexation policies and the imposition of a fait accompli.
Separately, the Arab League strongly condemned Nauru’s announcement
of its intention to open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, describing
the move as a serious violation of international law and
international legitimacy resolutions.
The League said the decision contravenes UN Security Council
Resolutions 476 and 478 of 1980, which declared invalid all Israeli
measures aimed at altering the character and legal status of occupied
Jerusalem and called on all states to refrain from establishing or
relocating diplomatic missions to the city.
The Assistant Secretary-General stressed that Nauru’s announcement
departs from the international consensus on Jerusalem’s legal status
and undermines states’ legal obligations not to recognize unlawful
situations arising from the occupation. He added that the move could
also weaken international efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive
peace based on the two-state solution and relevant international
resolutions.
//Petra// MF
