OIC urges ban on products from Israeli settlements

Published
39

JAKARTA: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called for a ban on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and pledged full support for the “inalienable rights” of the Palestinians.

The call came on Monday at the end of an OIC summit in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, which brought together representatives from 57 states.

An OIC resolution urged “member states and the wider international community to ban products produced in or by illegal Israeli settlements from their markets”.

However, the move was not binding on member states.

Settlements refer to Jewish communities built in areas occupied by Israel since 1967. Such settlements are illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts, with those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem built on land which Palestinians see as part of their future state.

The issue of goods imported from settlements has caused tensions with Israel in the past.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November suspended diplomatic contacts with the European Union about the Middle East peace process — which has been stalled for almost two years — over the bloc's decision to label imported produce from the settlements as such rather than “Made in Israel”.

The suspension was ended last month when Netanyahu held talks with the EU's foreign policy chief.

At the end of Monday's summit, the OIC also pledged “full support to the political, diplomatic and legal efforts” to ensure the Palestinians achieved their “inalienable rights”.

The Jakarta meeting was attended by leaders including Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

It came amid a five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that has killed 181 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and since then the situation has deteriorated, with the prospect of fresh dialogue appearing more remote than ever.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...