Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan today, alongside other MEPs and civil society organisations, called on World Trade Organization (WTO) members to suspend Israel from enjoying Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) treatment until Israel ends its illegal occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and fulfils its obligations under international law.
The call from 25 international and regional coalitions as well as national organisations comes ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the WTO’s 166 country members scheduled for 26 to 29 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
MFN treatment is a core principle of the WTO whereby a WTO Member must give any advantage, favour or privilege granted to one trading partner to all other WTO Members, with some allowed exceptions.
Speaking from Yaoundé, MEP Boylan said: “Today we are making a clear call on WTO members. Israel cannot continue to enjoy MFN treatment while they engage in a genocide against the Palestinian people and illegally occupy of their land, while also breaching international law in Lebanon and Iran.
“When Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, the EU and G7 members rightly ended Russia’s MFN treatment in recognition of the severe violations of the UN Charter and international law. The International Court of Justice have confirmed that the occupation of Palestine is illegal and a violation of the UN Charter and yet we do not see anything near the same level of action.
“I’m joining other MEPs and civil society organisations here in Yaoundé to demand that WTO members take real action for Israel’s flagrant and repeated violations of the UN Charter. We can no longer tolerate double standards and hypocrisy as Israel escalates its occupation and annexation and is the source of huge regional and global instability.
“Suspending MFN is a concrete measure WTO members, including the EU, can take to demonstrate that Israel’s violations of international law and destabilising influence will not be met with business as usual and continued trade benefits.”
Note to the editor:
MEP Boylan is Left Group Coordinator on the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) and is participating in the WTO 14th Ministerial Conference as part of a delegation of the INTA Committee.
Article XXI of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade allows countries to take measures in pursuance of its obligations under the United Nations Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security and was used as the basis for suspending Russia’s MFN treatment.
