Countries denounce Israel but keep trading with it
Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on J26 July 2025
Al Jazeera writes on 27 July 2025:
As Israel’s killing of Palestinians continues fast and slow, through air strikes and starvation, the foreign ministers of 28 countries have signed a statement calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
As these countries deploy words months after the United Nations and other groups warned of an oncoming famine, there has been little action on other fronts. Some of these countries have recognised the Palestinian state while France last week angered Israeli officials by announcing it would do the same in September.
Still, many critics have pointed out that as countries make these statements, many of them continue to benefit from trade with Israel and have not imposed sanctions or taken any other action that could push Israel to end its genocidal war on Gaza.
The war has killed at least 59,821 people in Gaza and wounded 144,477.
Here’s all you need to know about the countries profiting from Israel while condemning its military action:
How much do the signatories of the statement trade with Israel?
Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all have more than $1bn in imports, exports or both with Israel, according to 2023 figures from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
What do these countries trade with Israel?
Among the top items being traded are cars and other motor vehicles, integrated circuits, vaccines and perfumes.