Israeli settlement goods in EU trade ban talks

EU foreign ministers will discuss a possible import ban on products from Israeli settlements at a Brussels meeting on Monday, diplomats said, after several member states pressed for bloc-wide action.

The diplomats said the meeting was not expected to produce a concrete decision, but would test whether there is enough support to move forward. The European Commission this week set out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban.

Several EU countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Diplomats said Germany and Italy were still undecided on an EU-wide move.

There is also disagreement in Brussels over whether such a measure would need backing from all 27 member states or only a weighted majority.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live there, excluding east Jerusalem, among about three million Palestinians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen by AFP last month that it was contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.