AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has publicly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the import of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. In a social media post tagging the prime minister, Owaisi called on India to follow several Western governments that recently announced plans to restrict trade in settlement-produced goods.
Britain, France, Canada, and about a dozen other countries jointly unveiled these trade restrictions following an intensifying wave of Israeli settlement expansion and rising settler violence against Palestinians. Citing concerns that this activity undermines a two-state solution, these nations plan to implement the measures over the next six to nine months. Britain specifically accused settlers of contributing to ethnic cleansing in parts of the West Bank.
Owaisi argued that India should act without delay as an important step to curb Israel’s growing oppression. While Owaisi has repeatedly criticized Israeli policy and pressed for a firmer public stance, India has historically balanced its defence and technology partnership with Israel against its traditional support for Palestinian statehood and has not signaled any move to join the Western sanctions.