Palestinians applauded the Oslo Municipality’s decision on Wednesday to forbid the import of goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Anadolu News Agency.
The Norwegian decision was deemed “a step in the right direction” and a “commitment to the rules of international law that considers all forms of settlement building as illegitimate,” according to a statement from the Economy Minister, Khalid Al-Esseily.
He claimed that the Palestinian administration is working with allies “to hold accountable and prosecute companies that are active in settlements.”
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in support of Palestine applauded the Oslo Municipality’s prohibition.
In a statement, BDS claimed that the prohibition “followed the Mayor of Barcelona’s [in Spain] decision to freeze relations with the Israeli colonial and apartheid regime.”
The proposal to terminate a twinning agreement with the municipality of Tel Aviv was accepted by the municipal council of Barcelona last February on the recommendation of left-wing parties and the mayor of the city.
The Norwegian government declared in June 2022 that only Israeli items produced in territories under Israeli control prior to June 1967 are eligible for the “Made in Israel” mark, excluding goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Syrian Golan Heights.
164 settlements and 116 outposts in the West Bank, including Occupied East Jerusalem, are home to around 650,000 settlers, according to estimates from both Israeli and Palestinian sources.
All Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories are prohibited by international law.
