EU countries to discuss trade ban on Israeli settlements

EU countries to discuss trade ban on Israeli settlements EU foreign ministers will discuss imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a raft of member states for the bloc to take action, diplomats said on Friday. Diplomats said the debate at a meeting in Brussels on Monday was not expected to yield any concrete decisions, but would help gauge whether there is enough support to move forward. Several EU countries - including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain - have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, considered illegal under international law. Under pressure for the EU as a whole to take measures, the bloc's executive this week laid out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban.