The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed and supported the steps taken by 12 countries led by the United Kingdom, France and Canada to ban trade and business relations with illegal settlements in the West Bank. The statement said that Israel’s efforts to eliminate the two-state solution had intensified, that the settlements had evolved into a systematic policy of occupation threatening the State of Palestine, and that “settler terrorism” had reached the level of ethnic cleansing. The ministry said it expected the international community to adopt similar decisions. The 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Canada, announced that they would ban trade with the occupied Palestinian territories. Türkiye said it would continue its efforts for an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.
Why it matters
This development shows that the approach to supporting settlements in the West Bank through international commercial relations has moved beyond political condemnation. For parties involved in trade and business relations with the settlements, the diplomatic and economic framework of these activities is gaining greater importance, while which transactions the decisions will cover remains an open question of implementation. The common stance of the 12 countries strengthens calls to expand international pressure against the settlement policy; however, it is not yet clear whether similar steps will be adopted by other countries. Türkiye’s statement links the debate to the goal of an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders; thus, the trade restrictions are presented as part of the diplomatic effort to preserve the two-state solution.
Background
Türkiye is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 44 articles mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent was dated September 8, 2026.