Netherlands looks at trade ban on goods from Israeli settlements

LONDON: The foreign minister of the Netherlands has said his country is working to ban goods from illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.

David van Weel made the comments during a visit to the West Bank, where he visited an area previously attacked by Israeli settlers.

The Netherlands paused efforts to enact broader sanctions against Israel following the ceasefire with Hamas last month. However, violence by settlers in the West Bank has prompted international condemnation.

“Now we deem it is not a time to increase sanctions on Israel because we want to see the peace plan implemented and we want to also encourage Israel to play a positive part in this,” van Weel told The Guardian.

“At the same time, we’re not blind to any movements on the West Bank that might move the two-state solution further (away).”