The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) on Thursday announced it was launching a campaign next week to urge an end to economic relations between the European Union and illegal, Israeli settlements.
The campaign, dubbed "Made in Illegality", aims to pressure governments to stop importing goods from the Israel's illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian lands and to stop business dealings with companies that are in or linked to the settlements, a statement from the Paris-based FIDH said.
"Israeli settlements are spreading and grabbing more and more (land) in the occupied Palestinian territories," the human rights body added.
Governments in Europe, by allowing business dealings by their citizens with the settlements, and by failing to put in place laws that forbid this, are "participating in supporting settlement policies and are contributing to their prosperity as much as their expansion," according to FIDH "The Israeli settlements are, however, illegal with regard to international law," it was noted in the statement.
The FIDH said it was bringing together juridical experts and international law experts who will "underline the incoherence of French policy with regard to Israeli settlements." France regularly condemns the building or expansion of Israeli settlements, noting they are illegal and counter-productive to the stalled peace process, but there is no unanimity in the European Union on taking measures to sanction Israel for its disregard for international law.
There are EU discussions on better labelling of Israeli goods coming to Europe, particularly to prevent export by Israel of goods made in the occupied Palestinian territories - in illegal settlements - but which are labelled as "Made in Israel", allowing them to benefit from advantageous trade conditions. Yet no decision can be reached among the 28 EU countries on this question.