France and Sweden are leading a push within the European Union to tighten trade restrictions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, a move French Trade Minister Nicolas Forissier described as a matter of legal coherence rather than aggression.
In a joint proposal submitted last month, Paris and Stockholm called on the European Commission to increase tariffs and enforce stricter import controls on products from settlements deemed illegal under international law. Forissier, speaking on Euronews' 12 Minutes With, stressed the urgency of a unified European stance. “We cannot accept any import of products that are, in fact, produced in illegally occupied territories regarding international law,” he said.
Legal Foundations and Growing Momentum
The proposal cites the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Multiple UN resolutions dating back to the late 1970s have also condemned settlement activity. Forissier framed the initiative as consistent with European values: “It's not an aggressive position. In terms of law and human rights, it's normal that we say that. We have to be coherent.”
Israel has recently tightened its grip on the West Bank and East Jerusalem through changes to property law, planning, and licensing—steps that appear to violate key provisions of the 1993 Oslo Accords. Last Friday, leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands jointly urged Israel to halt settlement expansion. Israel disputes the illegality of settlements, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
The United States under President Donald Trump has shifted from opposing settlements to accepting them, though Trump has explicitly condemned plans to annex the West Bank, as advocated by ultra-nationalist groups in Israel's coalition government.
National Actions and EU Hurdles
Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee announced on Tuesday that Dublin aims to pass legislation curbing trade with settlements in the occupied West Bank by mid-July. The Dutch government last week revealed plans for a three-year trade ban on Israeli products from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan Heights. Both countries have long advocated for a European-wide ban, a call echoed by Sweden and France, which argued in their paper that a total import ban could be justified given the “deteriorating situation.”
Forissier floated a “more offensive and stricter” approach than mere trade restrictions, but acknowledged insufficient support among EU member states. Increased tariffs would require a qualified majority, while a full ban would need unanimous agreement—making such measures unlikely in the near term. “Anyway, we must have a common position from Europe and the proposal of the European Commission,” he said. Asked whether the Commission has been slow to act, Forissier said it had been “very attentive” and that he was confident a proposal was imminent. Euronews did not receive a response from the Commission at the time of publication.
The EU's trade agreement with Israel—part of the EU–Israel Association Agreement—grants preferential tariff treatment to Israeli goods. However, products from the occupied territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, are excluded and subject to standard, non-preferential tariffs. Countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia have repeatedly called for suspending the entire association agreement over alleged war crimes in Lebanon and Palestine, but the latest push failed to secure the necessary support. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has indicated that further discussions on the French-Swedish proposal will take place.
The debate underscores a broader European effort to align trade policy with international legal obligations, even as internal divisions and geopolitical pressures complicate the path forward.
