ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed the decision of 12 Western countries to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, describing it as “a positive development” in promoting international law.

On September 8, the foreign ministers of France, the UK, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden jointly announced plans to restrict sanctions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, citing an uptick in settler violence and settlement expansion in violation of international law.

The Iraqi foreign ministry “considers this a correct step towards supporting international efforts aimed at deterring the occupation's settlement policies, which constitute a flagrant violation of international law and a blatant attack on the rights of the Palestinian people,” read a statement from the ministry.

More than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live in communities scattered across the West Bank, territory Israel has occupied since 1967. These settlements are deemed illegal under international law.

Israel’s decision to issue tenders for the E1 settlement project, a large-scale settlement in East Jerusalem, has drawn extensive criticism in European capitals, coming as the European Union has adopted a more outwardly critical posture toward Israel following years of a genocidal military campaign in Gaza that sparked worldwide outrage.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its hope that the remaining countries will take similar steps in this regard, which will contribute to halting settlement activities and guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people,” the Iraqi statement added.

Palestinians and human rights organizations have long accused the Israeli army of turning a blind eye to extremist settlers, if not actively shielding them. Yet there are also increasingly more Israeli voices criticizing settler violence and highlighting the complicity of the Israeli army, which allows them to act with impunity.

Amnesty International has welcomed the countries’ decision to restrict trade with the Israeli settlements, but stressed the need for “further concrete measures to end Israel’s unlawful occupation and apartheid.”

“To truly tackle the violations stemming from illegal settlements states must go further; they must target the very infrastructure that funds, sustains and supports Israel’s unlawful occupation,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns, said on September 8, calling for targeted sanctions and measures on top Israeli entities and officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “implicated in establishing, maintaining and providing material support to illegal settlements and settlement infrastructure.”