Christian visitors shop in West Bank settlements to protest European settlement trade bans

Mixed · 2The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) took dozens of Christian visitors on buses through West Bank settlements in Samaria, Gush Etzion and Efrat, encouraging them to shop at local businesses as a protest against European restrictions on settlement products. 1 2 Mixed · 2The tour was organised during ICEJ's annual Feast of Tabernacles gathering in Jerusalem. The Media Line reported it, and The Jerusalem Post ran the same report, with quotes given to The Media Line. 1 2 Mixed · 2Paul Coulter, ICEJ's national director in Ireland, tore up a copy of Ireland's new law on camera, saying it "shall not stand". 1 2

Mixed · 2Ireland's ban took effect on 15 September. The Netherlands followed on 22 September with a broader restriction that also covers goods in travellers' personal luggage, including gifts and souvenirs. Norway is considering a ban on imports from and exports to settlements, plus certain property transactions and services, after a public consultation that closed on 19 September. Violations would carry criminal liability, and the bill must still pass the Norwegian parliament. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Irish law prohibits imports originating in designated settlement postal codes and applies existing customs powers of search, seizure and forfeiture. It exempts noncommercial goods that travellers carry home for their own use. Dutch customs officers can check luggage, and products covered by the ban may have to be surrendered or seized. Dutch authorities say inspections are chosen on risk assessments, not on a traveller's nationality, religion, ethnicity or appearance. 1 2 Mixed · 2The governments involved say the measures target settlements they consider illegal under international law, not Israel as a whole. Ireland cites the International Court of Justice's 2024 advisory opinion and says the settlements undermine prospects for a two-state solution. Norway's Foreign Ministry says its citizens and companies should not help sustain settlements the government considers unlawful. 2 1

Centre · 1ICEJ's David Parsons, senior vice president and spokesman, said the real intent is "to dry up the settlements and their livelihoods" so residents would have to leave. He also asked whether Europeans were willing to support "ethnic cleansing of that nature" through the sanctions. The Media Line's report says the governments dispute this characterisation and that his language went far beyond their stated position. 1 Mixed · 2Coulter urged Irish visitors to "Break the boycott" by buying Israeli wine, noting that Irish law does not stop tourists bringing it home for private use. He said ICEJ in Ireland faces calls for venues to cancel its meetings, a #BoycottApartheidICEJ hashtag, and protesters at the gates of meetings. Dag Øyvind Juliussen, ICEJ Norway's national director, said the prospect of criminal penalties had sharpened opposition among supporters of Israel there, and called the area "the heartland of the Jewish people for 3,000 years". 2 1 Centre · 1The reports note that travellers on the same tour face different rules at home. An Irish visitor can keep a bottle of settlement wine, but a Dutch traveller carrying the same bottle from a covered location may have to surrender it at customs. 3 1