Amnesty International launched a campaign Wednesday to press the international community to boycott goods produced in illegal Israeli West Bank settlement outposts.
“The international community must ban the import of all goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements and put an end to the multimillion dollar profits that have fuelled mass human rights violations against Palestinians” said Amnesty International.
“To mark the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip the organization is launching a new campaign calling on states across the world to prohibit settlement goods from their markets and to prevent their companies from operating in settlements or trading in settlement goods” the report read.
“For decades the world has stood by as Israel has destroyed Palestinians’ homes and plundered their land and natural resources for profit. While the Palestinian economy has been stunted by 50 years of abusive policies a thriving multimillion dollar settlement enterprise has been built out of the systematic oppression of the Palestinian population” said Salil Shetty Secretary General of Amnesty International.
“Fifty years on merely condemning Israel’s settlement expansion is not enough. It’s time for states to take concrete international action to stop the financing of settlements which themselves flagrantly violate international law and constitute war crimes” added Shetty.
“Israel’s policy of settling Israeli civilians on occupied Palestinian land has led to a myriad of human rights violations” warned Amnesty. “Tens of thousands of Palestinian homes and properties have been demolished by Israel and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced; many families were pushed out of their homes or land to clear areas for settlement construction. At least 100000 hectares of Palestinian land have been appropriated for exclusive settlement use.”
According to Amnesty Israel has also unlawfully seized control of Palestinian natural resources such as water fertile land stone quarries and minerals and diverted these to benefit settlement industries to produce agricultural products construction materials and manufactured goods that are often exported abroad. At the same time Israel has imposed arbitrary restrictions depriving Palestinians of access to and use of their own water land and other resources restricting their economic development and violating their economic and social rights.
“Across the West Bank settlement infrastructure including “settler-only” roads have divided Palestinian towns and villages and have severely limited the ability of Palestinians to move around freely. Israel has also maintained an illegal air sea and land blockade of the Gaza Strip for nearly 10 years locking two million people into an area just under half the size of New York City” the report further read.
“One of the tragedies of 50 years of ceaseless occupation-related violations is that the world has become accustomed to the shocking level of oppression and humiliation that Palestinians face in their daily lives in the occupied territories” said Salil Shetty. “But how can states continue to allow financial backing to an inherently cruel discriminatory and criminal settlement policy that enables Israeli settlers to live on stolen land in homes with irrigated lawns and swimming pools while Palestinian communities on their doorstep are deprived of access to enough clean water or electricity to cover their basic needs?”
Amnesty urged all states to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and also not recognize or assist in any manner the illegal situation that Israel’s settlement policy has created and in fact to use their influence to stop such violations.
“States that continue to help settlements flourish economically are blatantly undermining their international obligations and the very policies they have pledged to uphold. It is a state’s duty under international law to ensure that their actions and those of their nationals do not recognize or aid illegal situations or acts” said Salil Shetty.
Over decades multiple UN resolutions have confirmed that Israeli settlements violate international law. Most recently a UN Security Council resolution was passed in December 2016 calling on Israel to cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The resolution also called on all states to distinguish in all their dealings between the state of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.
Despite this Israel has accelerated its expansion and support of settlements in recent months announcing plans for thousands of new homes in existing settlements as well as plans to build thousands more homes in two new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“Israel has made it abundantly clear that maintaining and expanding settlements takes priority over respect for international law. It’s time for the world to send a clear message that it will no longer tolerate the Israeli authorities’ blatant disregard for international law” said Salil Shetty.
