In a statement on Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the Belgian government’s decision as “an important step” that supports the values of justice and represents “a practical and responsible application” of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The ministry cited UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which states that Israeli settlements have no legal validity and calls for an immediate end to settlement activity to prevent the undermining of peace prospects and the two-state solution.
Reaffirming its longstanding support for the Palestinian cause, Egypt called on “all EU member states and the international community to follow Belgium’s example” by introducing similar legal measures banning settlement products.
Cairo reiterated that security and peace in the Middle East could only be achieved by ending the Israeli occupation and enabling Palestinians to exercise their legitimate rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination.
It also renewed its call for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Belgium approved the measure at its final cabinet meeting before the summer recess. The ban was part of a package agreed by the governing coalition in 2025 in response to Israel's war on Gaza and the rising Palestinian death toll, although details of its implementation have yet to be finalized.
The move comes amid growing pressure for an EU-wide ban on trade involving Israeli settlement products.
At a meeting on 13 July, a ban received greater support from EU foreign ministers than two alternative measures, an import licensing system and prohibitive tariffs, but divisions prevented the bloc from reaching an agreement.
Member states also remain divided over whether such a ban requires unanimous approval or a qualified majority.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said the measures under consideration were “not options against Israel” but measures targeting “the illegal settlements that undermine the two-state solution.” Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain have been among the countries pressing for stronger restrictions.
Products from Israeli settlements are already excluded from the EU–Israel agreement’s preferential tariff treatment, but the bloc does not impose a comprehensive ban on their import. The proposed measures would therefore go beyond the EU’s current requirement that settlement goods be treated differently from products originating inside Israel’s internationally recognized borders.
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