Belgium criticizes EU's response to illegal Israeli settlement imports as 'token gesture'

Belgium on Monday criticized the EU's response to imports from illegal Israeli settlements as insufficient, with Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot describing the bloc's latest proposals as a "token gesture" rather than a genuine effort to act.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Prevot said Belgium had been calling for months for concrete measures over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The European Commission has finally proposed a few options in a two-page document. So it gives more the impression of being a token gesture than a genuine willingness to move forward," Prevot told reporters.

"We are asking for concrete proposals on which positions can be taken, on which the member states will have to vote, and which can be rapidly submitted to the Foreign Affairs Council," he added.

The European Commission is expected to present several possible measures, including stricter export licensing rules for goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements, higher import tariffs to discourage exports, and a partial or complete ban on imports from those settlements.

Prevot said Belgium supported using trade rules to address the issue, arguing that such measures could be adopted through qualified majority voting, unlike sanctions, which require unanimity among EU member states.

He also criticized the EU's difficulty in reaching a common position on Israel, saying political, historical, and economic considerations had prevented stronger action. "On other issues, everything seems possible. But when it comes to Israel, sanctions bring everything to a standstill," Prevot said.

"I regret that, because we have seen in other conflicts where we have adopted this kind of approach that applying pressure and making use of the tools available to the European Commission can bring about changes in behavior. And so it is high time that we do the same there as well," he added.

According to Peace Now, an Israeli organization that promotes a two-state solution, about 500,000 illegal Israeli occupiers live in settlements across the occupied West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on Palestinian land in occupied East Jerusalem.

In an advisory opinion issued last July, the International Court of Justice said Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

The 27-member EU has not imposed measures directly targeting Israel, which has continued its genocidal war in Gaza since October 2023 despite a ceasefire, while also carrying out attacks on Lebanon, Iran, and Syria.