UK bans goods from Israeli settlements in West Bank, toughens stance on Israel

The UK government on Tuesday announced a ban on trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in a significant toughening of its position towards its longtime ally Israel.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Britain would prohibit imports of all goods produced in the settlements and restrict some services linked to them, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising.

Miliband said France and Canada would also ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements, while Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden had pledged to “support further action”.

The British trade ban will come into force within six to nine months, he said.

The announcement comes amid growing criticism from Britain and other Western allies of Israel's conduct towards Palestinians under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultranationalist government.

Settlement construction in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, has accelerated under Netanyahu's government. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal and regards their expansion as an obstacle to a negotiated peace.

Netanyahu's government rejects the creation of a Palestinian state and views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people.

Miliband said the British government agreed that “there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists”.

He cited houses being bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed and families being displaced from their homes.

“I feel a deep sense of shame about what has unfolded in Palestine under the eyes of the international community,” Miliband said.

“We will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution,” he said.

Miliband also announced a tightening of Britain's existing embargo on weapons sales to Israel for use in Gaza. The restrictions will now cover arms that “materially contribute to the occupation” of Palestinian territories.

Britain recognised Palestinian statehood last year in an effort to revive efforts towards a two-state solution. The center-left Labour government has also previously sanctioned Israeli settlers and illegal outposts over violence against Palestinians and unauthorised development in the West Bank.

Miliband said the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway had either already banned goods from Israeli settlements or were in the process of doing so.

The move is likely to be welcomed by many Labour voters and lawmakers who have called on the government to impose tougher measures on Israel and provide greater support to Palestinians.

However, some Labour members warned that the announcement could bolster support for Netanyahu, who faces a difficult reelection battle in October, or increase the risk of attacks against British Jews.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also criticised Israel's E1 settlement project, which has been approved by the Israeli government and could effectively divide the West Bank. Palestinians and rights groups say the project could further undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the British move as “a grave miscalculation” that would put Britain “on the wrong side of history”.

“In the current context, it would be a gross interference in the democratic elections of a sovereign nation,” Herzog said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had warned ahead of the announcement that “if Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain”.

Hard-line Israeli public security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned the move and called on Netanyahu to recognise Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic that Argentina calls the Islas Malvinas.

The decision was also criticised by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described it as “discrimination against the Jewish people” and warned that Britain could face “repercussions or retaliations” from the US.

Several US states have laws restricting contracts or investments involving companies that boycott Israeli businesses, including those operating in the West Bank. US Rep Randy Fines, a Florida Republican, said the British ban could put “billions of dollars” in trade between British businesses and Florida at risk.

Burnham's office said the prime minister spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday and outlined Britain's commitment to peace and security in the region and to a two-state solution. It did not disclose Trump's response.