As Israel continues to kill Palestinians quickly and slowly through airstrikes and starvation, the foreign ministers of 28 countries have signed a statement calling on Israel to end its war on Gaza.
Although these countries spoke months after the United Nations and other organizations warned of impending famine, little action was taken elsewhere.
Some of these countries have already recognized a Palestinian state, and France announced last week that it would recognize it in September, a move that angered Israeli officials.
However, many critics point out that despite these statements, many of them continue to benefit from trade with Israel and have not imposed sanctions or taken any other action that could force Israel to end its genocidal war on Gaza.
The war has killed at least 59,821 people and injured 144477 in Gaza.
Here’s what you need to know about which countries are condemning Israel’s military operations while profiting from Israel:
What is the trade volume of the signatories of the declaration with Israel?
More than two dozen countries issued statements calling for Israel to immediately end the war on the Gaza Strip, saying that the suffering there “has reached new depths.”
According to the latest data from the Observatory on Economic Complexity (OEC), in 2023, each signatory country engaged in a significant trade in goods with Israel, including import and export trade.
According to the Observatory on Economic Complexity in 2023, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom all trade with Israel exceeded $1 billion.
What trade do these countries trade with Israel?
The most traded commodities include cars and other motor vehicles, integrated circuits, vaccines, and perfumes.
Integrated circuits worth about $3.58 billion are the largest single product exported to Ireland, accounting for the vast majority of Ireland’s imports from Israel.
At the same time, Italy’s exports to Israel exceed any other country that signed the statement. In 2023, Italy’s exports to Israel amounted to $3.49 billion, including $116 million in car exports.
Do these countries recognize Palestine?
Among the countries that issued statements, Ireland and Spain recognized Palestine in 2024 and strongly opposed Israel’s actions in Gaza. Still, this did not stop them from continuing to trade with Israel.
The other seven countries that signed the declaration also recognized the State of Palestine, including Cyprus, Malta and Poland, all of which recognized Palestine shortly after the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence.
Iceland (2011), Sweden (2014), Norway (2024) and Slovenia (2024) also recognize the state of Palestine, while France said it would recognize it at the UN General Assembly in September.
Who signed the statement?
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
All these countries are still trading with Israel.
How did Israel react to this statement?
As expected.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Mamostein wrote on the X website that Israel refused to accept the statement, saying that “the statement is out of touch with reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.”
What else are countries that trade with Israel doing?
France, Germany and the United Kingdom held an emergency conference call to discuss the war and famine crisis caused by Israel’s siege and blockade of the Gaza Strip, and called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and the “unconditional release of all hostages.”
Did these cause Israel to change its behavior?
Attention has turned to the issue of famine among Palestinians in Gaza, and even longtime staunch supporters of Israel, such as former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have begun to pay attention to it.
Under pressure, Israel announced a “tactical moratorium” in Mawasi, Deir Barakh and Gaza City from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (07:00 to 17:00 GMT) on Sunday for “humanitarian purposes.”
Despite the suspension of firefighting, Israeli forces still killed at least 43 Palestinians in the early hours of Sunday.
Gaza’s Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Sunday that six more people died in 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, including two children.
This brings the total number of people who starved to death to 133, including 87 children.