British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that Britain will impose a ban on importing goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, adding that a comprehensive sanctions regime will also be implemented.
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The import ban and accompanying sanctions, which Britain considered an indication of renewed support for the two-state solution, come in the wake of criticism directed at the Israeli E1 settlement project in the West Bank.
Miliband accused the Israeli government of “turning a blind eye” to “ethnic cleansing” being carried out by settlers in the West Bank.
Miliband told the House of Commons that “the British government recognizes that ethnic cleansing is taking place in the West Bank, carried out by terrorist settlers.” He added: “The Israeli government has often turned a blind eye to this situation, and worse still, some of its members have made statements and taken actions aimed at supporting the forced displacement of Palestinians.”
He continued: “Therefore, I can announce today that we will impose a ban on the import of products coming from illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” explaining that the move comes as part of a coordinated action with other countries.
Miliband revealed that France and Canada would join Britain in banning goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
He said these countries are part of an international coalition, adding that Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have pledged “support by taking additional measures.”
He also noted that the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway have either already imposed a ban on settlement goods, or are in the process of doing so.
Israel: British consulate closed, officials barred from entering
In response, Tel Aviv took retaliatory measures, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announcing on Tuesday that the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, would be closed.
Saar said that Britain would no longer be allowed to participate in the US-led coordination mission in Gaza, and that British training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank would be halted. He added that 11 British members of parliament and other citizens would be barred from entering Israel.
Among the officials included in the decision are former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, known for his pro-Palestinian stance, and MP Zara Sultana, who, along with Corbyn, broke away from the ruling Labour Party to form the left-wing “Your Party”.
Saar considered the British move to be “morally reprehensible, and a blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its election process.”
He said the accusations made earlier by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband were “outright lies.”
Saar added that he coordinated Israel's response with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel will hold elections in late October.
Israel had threatened to retaliate against any British sanctions related to potential settlement expansion in the West Bank, with Saar warning: “If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s hardline internal security minister, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to officially recognize the Falkland Islands as “occupied Argentine territory, stolen by the British from the Argentine people.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also called for the immediate expulsion of the British ambassador, “Expel the British ambassador tonight.”
He added: “We will not be a doormat for an anti-Semitic government, in a country invaded by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel. The British Mandate in the Land of Israel is over.”
Palestine: A turning point in relations
For its part, the Palestinian Embassy in the United Kingdom said in a statement on Tuesday that the British move shows that “international law must be respected and applied without fear or favor, and that violations must have consequences.”
It noted that the decision “gives practical effect to international legal consensus, including the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of July 2024, which affirmed the obligation of all States not to recognize the illegal situation arising from the Israeli occupation as legal, or to provide assistance in maintaining it.”
She added that the measure also “contributes to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in thePalestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a violation of international law.”
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, considered the decision a “turning point” in British-Palestinian relations, praising Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for “translating recognition and international legal commitments into effective actions” to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State of Palestine.
Zomlot stressed that British recognition of the State of Palestine cannot be meaningful if the territory of the recognized state is “being taken away from its people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
He called on the British government to take broader measures to ensure that sectors of the British state and economy do not collude with the occupation and settlement, including a complete arms embargo, sanctions against Israeli entities and institutions that sponsor settlements, and an end to illegal dealings in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Zomlot considered that the British steps would contribute to preserving the two-state solution and paving the way for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.The Palestinian Presidency, in a statement, considered the British decision “an important step to confront the Israeli colonial settlement system and its violations against our Palestinian people.”
She praised the British position “which reaffirms the illegality of Israeli settlements and the need to take practical steps to hold those responsible for settlement crimes and settler violence accountable.”
The Presidency affirmed that the ban on importing settlement products, along with other measures announced by the British government, represents “a step in the right direction and in line with international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.”
She stressed “the importance of these steps being accompanied by additional and binding international measures to stop settlement expansion, stop settler crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable, including imposing sanctions on those responsible for these crimes.”
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