The Norwegian government announced its intention to ban its citizens and companies from dealing in goods produced within the Israeli settlements established on the occupied Palestinian territories, in a new legislative step that reflects Oslo’s position of rejecting settlement and supporting the two-state solution.

The proposed draft law includes a direct ban on import and export transactions of goods with these settlements, in addition to a ban on real estate transactions associated with them, provided that the period of public consultations on the draft continues until next September 19 in preparation for referring it to Parliament, where it is likely to be approved and the political position transformed into a legal obligation.

In this regard, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Ede stressed in a statement that citizens and companies in Norway should not benefit from activities that contribute to perpetuating or supporting illegal Israeli settlement activity in Palestine.

This step comes as an extension of a series of measures taken by Oslo, which included recognizing the State of Palestine and intensifying pressure on settlers involved in violence in the West Bank, in conjunction with the Ethics Board of the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund conducting a review of its investments in Israeli banks related to financing and building homes for settlers.