London: Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, has welcomed the British government’s recent decision to ban the import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements located within the occupied Palestinian territories. This announcement coincides with a joint statement from the foreign ministers of 12 European countries concerning national and European trade restrictions with these settlements. Al-Yamahi views these developments as a significant progression from mere political condemnation to practical measures aimed at confronting the settlement and annexation policies maintained by the Israeli occupation.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Yamahi highlighted that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are unlawful under international law. He pointed out that ongoing settlement expansion, including the E1 plan, poses a direct challenge to the international community’s will and systematically undermines the two-state solution. He asserted that the occupying entity cannot legitimize its actions or establish a permanent political or economic reality through its current policies.
Al-Yamahi further stated that trade with these settlements should not serve as an economic shield for settlement activities, the appropriation of Palestinian land, or the displacement of its rightful owners. He urged the European Union and the global community to build upon these recent steps by enforcing binding and deterrent measures. These measures should include banning products from settlements, ceasing all economic and financial transactions with them, imposing sanctions on extremist settlers and their advocates, and holding the occupying government’s administration accountable for its continued offenses in the occupied Palestinian regions. He emphasized that international positions should be assessed on their ability to translate condemnation into actions that halt settlement activities and annexations while prosecuting perpetrators of these offenses.
The Speaker also called for immediate global intervention to obstruct the E1 plan, stop settlement growth and settler aggression, and ensure international protection for the Palestinian people. He reiterated that the two-state solution requires more than statements; it demands decisive international actions to end occupation, settlement expansion, and annexation.
The Arab Parliament reaffirmed its full support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent and sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international law.