Iran praises Ireland's ban on imports from Israeli settlements

Iranian Deputy Judiciary Chief for International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi praised Ireland's decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements, describing it as a commendable step toward turning international law from rhetoric into action. In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, Gharibabadi referenced a 2004 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which stated that the settlements had been "established in breach of international law" and obliges states not to recognize the illegal status created by the settlements or support their continuation. He argued that buying and selling settlement products is not normal trade but economic complicity in sustaining occupation and whitewashing an unlawful situation. Gharibabadi added that Western governments presenting themselves as defenders of international law must now match words with action instead of backing down under pressure from the Israeli regime, certain American lawmakers, and powerful business lobbies.

The remarks come as several European countries are moving toward tougher measures against Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced on Friday that Amsterdam would suspend all economic transactions linked to settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights, aiming to prevent Dutch society from contributing to illegal occupation and the maintenance of illegal settlements through economic activities.

Meanwhile, a report by Palestine’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) described 2025 as a "year of bloodshed" in the occupied West Bank, documenting more than 23,800 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians. The report said the assaults targeted Palestinians, their homes, farmland, and property, with most carried out by Israeli troops. It stated that nearly 35,000 trees were destroyed or uprooted, while settlers set hundreds of fires and caused widespread destruction. Settlement expansion and land seizures accelerated throughout 2025 as Israeli forces carried out large-scale military raids that displaced thousands of Palestinians from several refugee camps.

In early 2026, Israel's internal security service Shin Bet downgraded the classification of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from "terror attacks" to "serious incidents," narrowing the definition of terrorism to cases involving explicit intent to kill and reducing the priority of investigations. Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal assault on Gaza, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, wounded nearly 11,750 others, and abducted around 22,000 people, according to official figures. According to Mehr News Agency, these developments highlight the ongoing international and regional responses to Israeli settlement policies.