Ramallah: Palestine has welcomed Belgium’s decision to label products of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, saying it’s a move “in the right direction.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Wednesday said in a press statement that Belgium’s decision was based on the fact that the Israeli settlements are “contrary to international laws and resolutions,” and expressed its “alignment with the values of truth, justice, and freedom.”
He called on countries worldwide “to follow the footsteps of Belgium by labelling the Israeli settlements’ products, condemn settlement expansion and act on putting pressure to halt the growing settlers’ assaults on the Palestinians.”
On Wednesday, the Belgian government decided to put clear labels on the products of Israeli settlements to show that these settlements are built on Palestinian lands, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Israeli media reports, the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Belgian government’s decision, saying in a statement that “it harms the Israelis and the Palestinians alike.”
Israel took control of the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and has ever since built dozens of settlements on it. Such action is considered by the international community as violating international law.