Amman, July 13 (Petra) -- European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that a ban on trade with Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank was "the option that received the broadest support" among EU member states during a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Kallas said all 27 EU member states agree that the settlements are illegal and noted that the European Union already applies a policy of distinguishing products originating from those areas.

She said the European Commission had presented several options, including a full or partial ban on imports from the settlements or the imposition of tariffs on goods imported from them.

The discussions come amid growing calls within the European Union for tougher measures against Israeli settlements after the bloc imposed sanctions in May on four entities and three individuals it said were responsible for serious and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

European diplomatic sources say the increase in settler violence, coupled with the continued expansion of settlements under the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has prompted a growing number of member states to push for concrete economic measures.

Some of the proposed European measures are based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2024, which concluded that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and the establishment of settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal.

//Petra// AF