Eight Muslim countries welcome UK ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements

ISLAMABAD -- Eight Muslim countries, including Pakistan, have welcomed the United Kingdom's decision to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to introduce restrictions on services linked to such settlements.

According to the Foreign Office, Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE welcomed the decision in a joint statement today.

They expressed hope that this decision will help mobilize the international community to take similar actions in line with international law and hold accountable settlement organizations and individuals engaged in illegal settlement activities.

The Ministers also welcomed the Joint Statement on the Two-State Solution issued by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, confirming their intention to introduce restrictions on trade in goods with settlements that are illegal under international law, or to actively consider these and other measures in accordance with their respective national procedures. They encouraged the international community to build on these steps and adopt concrete measures to bring an end to activities that support or sustain illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The Ministers considered the announced intentions to be in line with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. They reiterated their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The Ministers underscored that Gaza is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and called for the full and immediate implementation of US President Donald Trump's Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, to ensure security and stability, address the humanitarian situation, facilitate reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.

The Ministers emphasized that the only viable path to achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace is the implementation of the two-state solution, through the realisation of an independent, sovereign, contiguous, and viable Palestinian State, based on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance wit