ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other countries have welcomed British sanctions targeting imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement welcoming the UK restrictions on imports from illegal Israeli settlements.

The eight countries also welcomed British sanctions on services linked to the illegal settlements and called on the international community to take similar measures against settlement activities.

The joint statement called for accountability for organisations and individuals operating in illegal settlements and urged the international community to take concrete steps to restrict trade with such settlements.

The statement said Israeli settlement activities violate international law and United Nations resolutions. It noted that UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice also establish the illegality of the Israeli occupation.

The eight countries called on Israel to reverse measures aimed at changing the geographical and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territories.

They said Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and called for the full and immediate implementation of President Trump’s comprehensive peace plan to end the Gaza conflict. They also stressed the need to ensure security, stability, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in Gaza.

The joint statement said the two-state solution remains the only viable path to lasting and comprehensive peace. It called for the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state along the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.