France calls on EU to restrict trade with Israeli settlements
France has called on the European Union to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said this in an interview with RFI, Anadolu Agency reports.
Comparison with restrictions on Crimea
According to Barrot, he again called on European countries this week to make progress on trade restrictions. The minister described the settlements as illegal and said it was abnormal for the EU to support such trade.
Barrot compared the proposed step with the EU's response to Russia's occupation of Ukrainian Crimea. He noted that in 2014, the European Union stopped imports from the peninsula and, in his view, the same approach should be applied to illegal settlements. At the same time, the French foreign minister acknowledged that this decision would require the consent of EU member states.
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Statements on the situation in the West Bank and Niger
Barrot also condemned what he called an unprecedented surge in violence by Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank. In his assessment, this harms the dignity of Palestinians, Israel's security, and the prospects for a settlement based on the creation of two states.
Separately, the minister rejected accusations of France's involvement in last week's mutiny in Niger, saying that Paris had neither the intention nor the capacity to take part in it. On August 29, military personnel attacked a key air base and other strategic facilities in Niamey, but forces loyal to the government, supported by Russia's Africa Corps, regained control. On Friday, Niger's government accused France of inciting unrest and supporting the mutineers.
