MIDEAST: Belgian Bank Financing Illegal Settlements http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50988

Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is continuing to finance Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territories almost a year after it indicated that it would cease providing loans to illegal settlements.In May 2009, Dexia promised that it would not lend any fresh money to councils representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank. 

Although Palestinian solidarity activists regarded the announcement as a victory for a campaign they had fought against Dexia, they are not satisfied that all the bank's transactions with Israeli settlements have been halted. 

Intal, a human rights group in Brussels, says it will protest at Dexia's annual shareholders' meeting next month, because many of the earlier loans issued to Israeli settlements run until 2017 and are unaffected by last year's pledge.  "We are calling on Dexia to cut all ties with the occupation (of Palestine)," Intal spokesman Mario Franssen told IPS. "How they do that is up to them. We're not asking for a boycott of Israel in this case but probably the only solution is for them to get out."