Parliament Supports Trade Sanctions Against Israeli Settlement Goods

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian parliament People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Hidayat Nur Wahid, has expressed support for sanctions imposed by 12 European and North American countries, including trade sanctions or restrictions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.

HNW, as he is commonly known, expressed hope that more countries around the world, including Arab and Muslim-majority countries, would follow suit. "This good intention and this step should be strongly supported," he said in a press statement, as quoted by mpr.go.id in Jakarta on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

"Hopefully, it can put pressure on Israel not only to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, such as the West Bank, but also to bring an immediate end to the alleged genocide or humanitarian crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," HNW said.

The countries that have confirmed plans to impose trade restrictions on goods originating from Israeli-occupied territories are Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. They will implement the trade restrictions or sanctions through their respective national laws.

HNW said that, according to research by several independent organizations, Israel currently controls 92 percent of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while Palestinians control only 8 percent. Since 2023, Israel has approved 104 new settlements, while more than 500,000 settlers now live on land that, he said, has been promised to the Palestinian people since 1947, making prospects for a two-state solution increasingly distant.

He further expressed hope that the shift in position by several Western countries that have often supported Israel would be followed by Arab and Muslim-majority countries. Previously, eight Arab and Muslim countries — Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates — had also issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s plans to expand its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

"These Arab and Muslim countries should impose even stronger trade sanctions, not only on goods originating from areas considered illegally occupied, but also on goods originating from Israel as a whole. This would certainly exert significant economic pressure on Israel, including by reviewing diplomatic normalization with Israel that some Arab countries have already undertaken," he said.

HNW also stressed that he would continue pushing for trade sanctions against Israel to be implemented more broadly in Indonesia. Although Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, he said, trade ties between the two countries continue.

"This must be stopped immediately, and we will continue to push for the Bill on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel to be discussed and passed as soon as possible," he said.