Canada promises trade ban on goods from ‘illegal’ Israeli settlements in new joint statement

Canada intends to ban all trade with goods tied to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This move is part of a joint statement with several European countries, including the UK and France, promising harsher measures against Israelis they say are undermining a two-state solution.

The UK has already announced a ban on trade with Israeli settlements, which includes imports of all goods from the settlements and barring companies from providing services for the settlements. According to the Gulf News, the economic impact is likely to be limited since the settlements produce only a small amount of largely agricultural exports.

The joint statement from the leaders of France, the UK, and Canada condemns Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying they undermine prospects for a two-state solution. The statement also mentions the systematic settlement expansion in the West Bank and the increase in settler violence as a direct and urgent threat to peace.

Brief written by urgent.news from National Post, Gulf News, Middle East Eye, City AM, Al Jazeera — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.