Great Britain will in future ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced this in a speech to the House of Commons in London.
These settlements are illegal, he said. Miliband also announced that companies that, for example, built or even financed houses or roads in the settlement areas would be sanctioned.
Settler violence has increased massively
A total of twelve countries - including Great Britain, France, Canada, Denmark and other countries - announced in a joint declaration that they would introduce trade restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements that violate international law or would examine corresponding measures. The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway have already banned the import of goods from the settlements or are in the process of doing so, it said.
Germany is not one of the signatories - but the federal government also recently criticized Israel's actions in the West Bank in an unusually harsh manner.
Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has increased dramatically in the West Bank. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War in 1967. In addition to around three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live there. In 2024, the International Court of Justice assessed Israel's settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory as a violation of international law. However, the current government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is massively pushing ahead with the construction of further settlements.
Criticism of the E1 settlement project
London's announcement represents a realignment of British foreign policy. The government under the previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed criticism of Israel's settlement policy in a much milder manner.
In recent days, the British Foreign Secretary has described the Israeli E1 settlement project with more than 1,200 planned apartments as crossing a red line. The project cuts through the West Bank and threatens to make a future Palestinian state impossible.
In his speech in the House of Commons, Miliband, who himself comes from a Jewish family, expressly emphasized Israel's right to exist, which should not be questioned. However, it is about keeping the possibility of a two-state solution alive. This would be undermined by parts of the Israeli government. In the West Bank there is also sometimes "ethnic cleansing" by militant settlers, which is tolerated and in some cases even supported by the government, he said.
Criticism from Israel and the USA
The announcement was met with sharp criticism in Israel. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused the British government of "discrimination against the Jewish people" on the BBC. Huckabee pointed out that US sanctions against Great Britain could now follow.
"If Great Britain takes action against Israel, Israel will take action against Great Britain," announced Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
According to his office, Israel's President Izchak Herzog criticized the move as a "serious misjudgment" and spoke of "interference" in the upcoming elections in Israel, which will take place at the end of October. A close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition is expected.
