Muslim body urges ban on products from Israeli settlements

A global Muslim body called Monday for a ban on products from Israeli settlements in
the occupied territories and pledged full support for the "inalienable rights" of the
Palestinians.

The call came at the end of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (01C) summit in
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, which brought together
representatives from 57 states.

A resolution urged "member states and the wider international community to ban
products produced in or by illegal Israeli settlements from their markets".
However, the move was not binding on member states.

Settlements refer to Jewish communities built in areas occupied by Israel since 1967.
Such settlements are illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace
efforts, with those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem built on land which Palestinians
see as part of their future state.

The issue of goods imported from settlements has caused tensions with Israel in the past.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November suspended diplomatic contacts
with the European Union about the Middle East peace process which has been stalled
for almost two years over the bloc's decision to label imported produce from the
settlements as such rather than "Made in Israel

The suspension was ended last month when Netanyahu held talks with the EUS foreign
policy chief.

At the end of Monday's summit, the 01C also pledged "full support to the political
diplomatic and legal efforts" to ensure the Palestinians achieved their "inalienable
rights".

The Jakarta meeting was attended by leaders including Palestinian president Mahmud
Abbas and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes by
the International Criminal Court.

It came amid a five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that
has killed 181 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and since then the situation has
deteriorated, with the prospect Of fresh dialogue appearing more remote than ever.


Response:
This article is focused on the ban of products from Israeli settlements, but looks deeper at the issue of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. This is an ongoing conflict that has not successfully implemented a peace plan. There is bias towards Israel, as they focus on the effects this has on the Palestinian population. Especially when they state that the Palestinian people deserve "inalienable rights." The writer even uses numbers to show the reader the suffering Palestinians are experiencing. A conflict of the magnitude is not easily solved. People continue to pick sides and an agreement cannot be reached. As this Muslim body urges the ban of products it is just another part of this ongoing chaos.

France-Presse, Agence. "Muslim Body Urges Ban on Products from Israeli Settlements." 

GlobalPost. N.p., 07 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. <http://www.globalpost.com/article/6742888/2016/03/07/muslim-body-urges-ban-products-israeli-settlements>.