ROME - Opposition parties in Italy have introduced a bill aimed at banning the import and advertising of goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Amnesty International Italy said on Thursday.
The proposal was signed by the leaders of the Five Star Movement, the Democratic Party, and the Green and Left Alliance, including Giuseppe Conte, Elly Schlein, Angelo Bonelli, and Nicola Fratoianni.
The initiative was launched after a campaign supported by more than 20 Italian civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Italia and Oxfam Italia.
The bill aims to ban the import of goods and services produced entirely or partially in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
According to campaign organizers, Italy imports goods and services worth around 1 billion euros from Israel every year, including agricultural products, manufactured goods, and security-related services.
Campaigners argue that trade linked to settlements contributes to what they describe as "systematic human rights violations" in the occupied Palestinian territories through expropriation, displacement and violence.
"This is an important first step along the path we hope will lead, in Italy and in the EU, to the adoption of measures that effectively ban trade with Israeli settlers in the West Bank," said Paolo Pezzati, campaign coordinator and humanitarian crisis spokesperson at Oxfam Italy, reported by Anadolu (15/5).
He added that countries, including Spain and Slovenia, have adopted similar measures, while Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands are considering comparable legislation.
The bill also proposes requiring Israeli exporters to prove that goods imported into Italy are not produced in the occupied Palestinian territories, while giving customs authorities the authority to seize products in the case of false declarations.
Human rights groups supporting the initiative have accused the Israeli government of accelerating settlement expansion, demolition, and forced evictions in the West Bank.
The proposal comes amid a growing debate in Europe over economic ties with Israeli settlements and calls from several political parties and NGOs for more decisive action on Israel's policies in the occupied territories.
The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has witnessed an increase in Israeli military operations, including raids, arrests, shootings, and excessive use of force, along with an increase in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their property.
Since October 2023, attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 1,155 Palestinians, injured around 11,750, and led to the arrest of nearly 22,000 people, according to official Palestinian figures.
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