Norway is preparing the legal infrastructure for a boycott of settlement products, which several countries announced last week.
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According to a report by Dov Gil-Har in Kan News, a bill was reported in the country last night, according to which people or companies who trade with the settlements will be subject to a penalty of up to three years in prison.
Norway is not alone: The Dutch order, which is set to take effect on September 22, carries with it severe sanctions, because the ban on importing, purchasing, or selling goods from settlements is classified under national economic crime laws - and the consequences are serious: individuals or corporate officers who intentionally violate the trade ban face criminal prosecution and a sentence of up to six years in prison.
Besides prison sentences, national economic offenses in the Netherlands can result in huge fines for companies along with seizures of corporate assets.
The UK implements its comprehensive ban through the existing Sanctions and Money Laundering Act. Under the UK Sanctions Act, willful breach of financial or trade sanctions is a criminal offence punishable by up to ten years in prison.
France and Canada, which are also taking steps on the issue, use national sanctions mechanisms to enforce their trade restrictions. In Canada, under the Special Economic Measures Act, circumvention or violation of mandatory trade restrictions carries criminal penalties of up to five years in prison.
In France, the decision on the national ban has already been made, but the legal path and enforcement are still being worked out. Violations of economic trade restrictions, whether national or those supported by the European Union, are treated in the country as customs and economic offenses and carry statutory prison sentences of up to five years for corporate directors, along with fines of up to twice the value of the smuggled goods.
However, at this stage it is not yet known whether the new ban will be subject to the existing penalty.
