As the world marks the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Golan Heights, the Israeli authorities are reinvigorating their relentless expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), with devastating consequences for the human rights of Palestinians. Despite an international consensus that these settlements are illegal, Israel is currently emboldened by the new US administration to pursue construction.
Mere condemnation of settlement construction by the UN, states and national and international human rights organizations has proven ineffective. It is time for states to take action and uphold their obligations under international law. Amnesty International is therefore calling on states to take measures to stop the financial support and expansion of settlements by prohibiting settlement goods from entering their markets and by regulating and preventing corporations domiciled in their territory from operating in settlements or trading in settlement products.
