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Germany, Italy block EU push to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements —— Germany and Italy are blocking a European Commission plan to curtail trade with illegal Israeli settlements on annexed Palestinian territory, The Telegraph reported on 13 July. A Commission paper presented to EU foreign ministers offered three options: tighter import licenses, tariffs, or an outright ban. Berlin and Rome insist any measure requires unanimity from all 27 member states, while France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden argue it is a trade issue needing only a qualified majority . The EU deems the annexations illegal yet still allows imports from the settlements, and a previous bid to suspend parts of Israel's trade deal collapsed after Germany and Italy opposed it. The Commission estimates the measures would hit just 0.5 percent of Israel–EU trade, less than €100 million ($114,000,000 USD).