EXPLAINER – How products from illegal Israeli settlements reach European markets

Products linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories continue to enter European markets, raising questions about how they are exported, labeled and distributed and whether existing European rules are effectively preventing settlement-linked trade. A June 2026 report by the Global Echo Litigation Center, Importing Occupation, has drawn fresh attention to these supply chains. It says that goods made in Israeli illegal settlements have entered European markets through systems that hide their actual place of origin. Here is how the system works. How widespread is the trade? The report focuses on agricultural exports, including dates, citrus fruits, herbs, fruit and vegetables, which previous research has identified as among the most common settlement products reaching Europe. To illustrate how […]