ROME: Italy has indicated support for restricting imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while ruling out broader sanctions against Israel.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome is working with European partners to consider targeted measures.
“Things in the West Bank are not going well; they must change, and we have said this clearly,” Tajani told a Senate session, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. “The settlement policy must end, as must the violence of extremist settlers.”
He added that Italy is “positively evaluating” restrictions on goods produced in the occupied West Bank, saying such steps would help cut funding to settler-linked networks.
“I would like to inform this chamber that, together with some European partners, we are also positively evaluating the possibility of restrictions on imports of goods produced in the occupied West Bank — a measure that targets the sources of funding for extremist settler networks,” he said.
Earlier this week, Italy also joined efforts to block a European Union proposal to suspend its trade agreement with Israel, arguing that broad sanctions would unfairly affect the wider population and that any response should remain targeted.
Violence by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the conflict in Gaza began in October 2023, resulting in more than 1,148 Palestinian deaths, 11,750 injuries, and around 22,000 arrests.
