Legislators from Europe and North America have recently met to discuss various legislative options that lawmakers can pursue to end the import of goods produced in illegal Jewish settlements, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Friday.
The Brussels-based European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) said in a press statement that this was the third meeting of the multi-partisan “Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Promote Palestinian Human Rights,” a trans-Atlantic initiative that brings together North American and European lawmakers.
672 European financial institutions are invested in 50 companies in illegal Israeli settlements with $141 billion in shares & bonds & $114 Billion in loans & underwritings. Watch the #DontBuyIntoOccupation video to learn more about these findings: https://t.co/iPFrFdP5H1
— ECCP Brussels (@ECCPBrussels) January 31, 2022
The task force is composed of more than 20 legislators from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Slovenia, Netherlands, and other European countries.
Speakers at the last meeting included Senator Frances Black (Ireland) and MP Veronika Honkasalo (Finland), who have moved bills or legislative motions to prohibit the import of settlement goods in their countries.
The Task Force heard from lawmakers and campaigners in several countries about their initiatives to stop goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Thanks to @frances_black, @veronikahonka, @DeVuystSteven & Dr. Moerenhout, for sharing with us your expertise. https://t.co/2bc8zUYKEf
— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) January 31, 2022
The international community opposes annexation and considers illegal settlements to be an obstacle to international peace and stability. Nonetheless, most countries have continued to trade with them in violation of UN resolutions. This economic activity allows Israel to profit from annexation, and incentives further illegal expansion of the settlement enterprise.
The Inter-Parliamentary Task Force is supported by civil society groups in Europe and North America. These include Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO), the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (UK), the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP), and Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP).
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
