British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced on Tuesday that the UK was imposing trade restrictions on Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, and said that “settler terrorists” are committing “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinian population.
Miliband said it was the official position of the British government 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.” He added that the “British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.”
According to The Guardian, the sanctions include:
- An import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.
- A comprehensive sanctions regime against providing services such as construction or financing for Israeli settlements.
- A ban on the advertising in the UK of illegal settlement properties.
- Personal sanctions against key individuals accused of promoting settler violence.
- A new ban on arms licenses and other exports that “materially contribute to the occupation”
The announcement marks a shift in the British government’s position on Israel since new Prime Minister Andy Burnham took power in July.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced “retaliatory measures,” which include sanctions on 11 British members of parliament, the closure of the UK’s consulate in East Jerusalem, and the removal of British personnel from a military post in southern Israel meant to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, which Israel has constantly violated with daily attacks.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested the UK could face economic retaliation in the US and accused the British government of “Jew hatred” despite Miliband himself being Jewish, a fact he was confronted with in an interview with the BBC. In his remarks, Miliband recounted visiting his grandmother, who lived in Israel, when he was a child and said he had “unwavering” support for the state of Israel, and noted elsewhere in his speech that the “sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel.”
The UK was one of 12 countries that signed a joint statement released Tuesday confirming their “intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures.”
The other 11 countries that signed the statement include Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The statement noted the “unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion” that have been taking place in the West Bank.
The 12 countries said Israel’s actions were “undermining the possibility of a two-State solution” and called on the Israeli government to “immediately halt the expansion of settlements and civilian administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence, and investigate allegations against Israeli forces.”
