Canada issued a strong warning to its businesses against economic or financial involvement with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, citing mounting legal, financial and reputational risks.
Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service urged Canadian companies to avoid activities that directly or indirectly support or facilitate settlements or related violence.
The advisory covers investments, financial transactions, procurement, purchases and tourism connected to settlement activity.
Ottawa reiterated its position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law and represent a major obstacle to a two-state solution.
The government said settlement expansion and extremist settler violence contribute to instability, raise human rights concerns and undermine prospects for a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
