The UK has announced a new sanctions regime targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including an import ban on goods produced in settlements.
Delivering a statement to the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK government’s official position is that “the occupation is unlawful” because of “Israel’s entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements”.
Miliband said the government would introduce “a new comprehensive sanctions regime” with “appropriate religious exemptions”, adding: “To those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this, you will face the full force of UK sanctions.”
The measures will also target companies and individuals involved in settlement construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate linked to settlement expansion.
The Foreign Secretary also said the UK government considers there to be “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank”, which he attributed to settler violence and displacement.
In his statement, Miliband said settlement expansion had increased significantly since the 1993 Oslo Accords, arguing it had created “facts on the ground to make the two-state solution unviable”. He also cited UN figures on settler violence and the displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
The announcement came alongside a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, reaffirming their commitment to protecting the two-state solution.
The ministers confirmed they would introduce, support or consider restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law, while calling on Israel to halt settlement expansion, ensure accountability for settler violence and recognising Israel’s legitimate security interests.
ℹ️ The Guardian, GOV. UK
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
