Major European trade union organization endorses boycott of Israeli settlement products
A major European trade union organization has boycotted products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling on the European Union’s member states to ban import and export of such commodities.
The decision was made on Thursday during the 15th session of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)’s congress in Berlin, Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported.
“During the congress, the ETUC called for regulatory measures to prevent EU legal entities from importing or exporting products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in accordance with EU treaties and international law,” the news agency said.
The organization cited the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank under international law, also supporting the right of the Palestinian people to have an independent state with the occupied al-Quds as its capital.
“The participants called on the European Union countries to ensure that the geographical scope of the EU's association agreements is respected,” Wafa added.
The confederation, which represents over 45 million European workers and their trade unions, also stressed the need for achieving a “two-state solution,” and the establishment of a lasting peace in the Palestinian territories.
The announcement came a day after Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU’s ambassador to Palestine, condemned the Israeli regime’s plans for the construction of nearly 600 new illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank.
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