Norway proposes ban on trade with Israeli settlements
Norway’s government announced a bill on June 19 to ban trade with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The measure would prohibit imports of settlement-produced goods as well as real-estate transactions and construction-related services that support settlement activity. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the settlements “are in breach of international law” and contribute to displacement and violence that make a negotiated settlement harder to reach.
The bill enters a three-month consultation period running to September 19, so it is a proposal rather than a finished law. It extends a steady hardening of Oslo’s position: Norway recognised Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Spain, and in June joined coordinated sanctions with the UK, Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand against settler-violence networks. A national trade ban would go further by targeting the economic links that sustain settlements, and could add pressure on other European governments weighing similar steps.