LONDON, United Kingdom- The United Kingdom has announced a package of sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on goods imported from the settlements.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband unveiled the measures in the House of Commons on Tuesday, saying the government would take action against settlement expansion and rising violence against Palestinians.
The measures include restrictions on British companies providing financial, real estate and other services that support the settlements.
Britain will also prohibit the advertising of properties located in the settlements and impose sanctions on individuals accused of promoting violence.
Miliband said the government would further block British arms exports that contribute to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
The import ban, which is expected to take between six and nine months to come into effect, will primarily affect agricultural and other products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Britain announced the measures alongside France and Canada as part of coordinated international action intended to protect the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
“I’m proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the state of Israel. And there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the state of Palestine,” Miliband told Parliament.
He described the two-state solution as the “north star” of the British government’s policy, saying Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live alongside each other in freedom, security and with the right to self-determination.
The UK considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law.
Israel disputes that position and describes the territory as contested.
Miliband accused violent Israeli settlers of driving Palestinians from their homes and said settlement expansion, including the proposed E1 project, threatened to divide the West Bank and make a future Palestinian state unviable.
The sanctions do not amount to a wider boycott of Israel. Miliband said Britain would continue trading with businesses operating within Israel’s internationally recognised boundaries.
Israeli officials condemned the announcement and threatened diplomatic retaliation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded the closure of Britain’s consulate in East Jerusalem.
The sanctions mark a significant hardening of Britain’s policy towards Israel and follow months of warnings over settlement expansion and violence in the occupied territory.
