Cairo, Sept. 9 (Petra) — Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy
welcomed a decision by the United Kingdom to ban trade in goods
produced in illegal Israeli settlements, along with intentions
expressed by 12 other countries to impose similar restrictions on
trade with settlements deemed illegal under international law.

Fahmy said the measures, set out in a clear statement by those
countries, mark a “step in the right direction” toward confronting
Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise and restoring a policy of
accountability rather than overlooking what he called the “rogue
conduct” of the Israeli occupation government.

He stressed that concrete, practical measures against the settlement
system, which he said aims to undermine the two-state solution,
reflect a shared recognition among all parties of the gravity of
developments in the occupied Palestinian territory. He cited an
apartheid system established by the occupation, alongside settlers’
free rein to carry out violence against Palestinian civilians under
the protection and encouragement of the Israeli government.

Fahmy called on all countries that still believe in international law
and the two-state solution as the only path to resolving the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict to join the “courageous stance” taken by
the United Kingdom, as reflected in the 12-country statement.

Concrete, practical measures against the racist settlement system
will force the occupation to weigh the cost of its illegitimate
practices after years without accountability or punishment, Fahmy
said.

//Petra// NQ