Arab, Muslim nations welcome UK-led sanctions on Israeli settlements

The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries released a joint statement on Wednesday welcoming the UK's decision to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The countries - Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt - hailed other Western countries for announcing their intention to restrict trade with Israeli settlements. In a separate statement, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the decision, adding that the measures come amid growing international momentum generated by a number of countries recognising the independent State of Palestine. Yemen released a similar statement affirming that this step constitutes important support for efforts aimed at deterring Israel's settlement policies. The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, also expressed his support for the measures taken by the 11 European countries and Canada against "colonial settlement activity in the occupied West Bank to protect the two-state solution". The Secretary-General Welcomes the Measures Taken by the United Kingdom, Canada, and a Group of European Countries against Colonial Settlement Activity in the Occupied West Bank to Protect the Two-State Solution#OIC #Palestine #TwoStateSolution #Settlements pic.twitter.com/BxbRDd5mqS — OIC (@OIC_OCI) September 9, 2026