Italian opposition parties submit bill to ban trade with Israeli settlements
Proposed legislation aims to prohibit imports of goods and services produced fully or partially in Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem
Opposition parties in Italy have submitted a bill seeking to ban the import and advertising of goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Amnesty International Italy said on Thursday.
The proposal was signed by leaders of the Five Star Movement, Democratic Party, and the Green and Left Alliance, including Giuseppe Conte, Elly Schlein, Angelo Bonelli, and Nicola Fratoianni.
The initiative was launched following a campaign backed by more than 20 Italian civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Italy and Oxfam Italy.
The proposed legislation aims to prohibit imports of goods and services produced fully or partially in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
According to the campaign organizers, Italy imports around €1 billion ($1.1 billion) worth of goods and services from Israel annually, including agricultural products, manufactured goods, and security-related services.
Campaign supporters argued that trade linked to settlements contributes to what they described as the “systematic violation of rights” in the occupied Palestinian territories through expropriation, displacement, and violence.
“This is an important first step along a path that we hope will lead, in Italy and in the European Union, to the adoption of measures effectively banning trade with Israeli settler settlements in the West Bank,” said Paolo Pezzati, campaign coordinator and spokesperson for humanitarian crises at Oxfam Italy.
He added that countries, including Spain and Slovenia, had already adopted similar measures, while Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands are considering comparable legislation.
The bill also proposes requiring Israeli exporters to prove that goods imported into Italy are not produced in occupied Palestinian territories, while granting customs authorities powers to seize products in cases of false declarations.
Rights groups backing the initiative accused the Israeli government of accelerating settlement expansion, demolitions, and forced displacement in the West Bank.
The proposal comes amid increasing debate within Europe over economic ties with Israeli settlements and calls from some political parties and NGOs for stronger measures linked to Israel’s policies in the occupied territories.
The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen an escalation in Israeli military operations, including raids, arrests, shootings, and excessive use of force, alongside rising Israeli occupiers' attacks on Palestinians and their property.
Since October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have killed 1,155 Palestinians, wounded about 11,750, and led to the arrest of nearly 22,000, according to official Palestinian figures.
