Britain bans the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This is part of a larger realignment of relations with Israel, said Foreign Minister Ed Miliband in London. Israel responded with countermeasures and wants to close the British consulate in Jerusalem.
According to Miliband, Great Britain will officially view not only Israeli settlements, but the entire Israeli occupation of the West Bank as illegal. In addition, anyone who supports or finances the construction of new illegal settlements will be subject to sanctions.
France, Canada and Denmark as well as other countries joined the British position in a joint statement and also announced import bans and sanctions. Germany is not one of them.
Strong criticism and countermeasures from Israel
In addition to closing the British consulate in Jerusalem, Israel also announced in the evening that several British politicians and activists would no longer be allowed to enter the country, including British ex-Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn. Israel accuses them of being involved in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activities and of denying Israel's right to exist.
According to Saar, British representatives should also leave the so-called “International Gaza Support Center” in Israel, which monitors compliance with the ceasefire and deals with humanitarian and logistical aid for the Gaza Strip. Britain will no longer be involved in training Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, the Israeli foreign minister said.
Miliband: keep the two-state solution alive
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 is being blatantly 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, said Miliband.
Britain's measures were praised by the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank.
Criticism also from the USA
Even before Miliband's speech, there had been criticism of the move from Israel and the US ambassador to Israel. Israel's President Izchak Herzog criticized the move as a "serious misjudgment" and at the same time accused Great Britain of interfering in the upcoming elections in Israel.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused the British government of “discrimination against the Jewish people” on the BBC. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had reportedly informed US President Donald Trump of the plans in advance.
West Bank could be divided into two
The sanctions come at a time when violence by radical settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank is increasing and Israeli security forces are hardly taking action against it. At the same time, the Israeli settlements in the area conquered in 1967 are being massively expanded by the right-wing religious government.
A settlement project that Israel is currently pushing forward in the so-called E1 area between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement is particularly controversial. Development could effectively divide the West Bank into a northern and a southern part, making the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. The plans are therefore met with sharp international criticism.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem District Court rejected several petitions seeking an injunction against the construction projects in E1 and the further implementation of the plans.
There has been a debate in the EU about how to proceed for months
Several European countries have already decided on sanctions against goods from settlements in the West Bank, including Ireland and Spain. There has been a debate in Brussels for months about how to deal with Israel's settlement policy. The member states agree that it violates international law, but have not yet been able to agree on far-reaching sanctions.
Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had sharply criticized the plans for the E1 area. “The federal government rejects this step, which violates international law, and any annexation plans,” he said. However, when it comes to the question of sanctions, Berlin has so far put the brakes on it.
The move had been expected for a long time in Great Britain. The new Prime Minister Burnham is likely to try to appease the left wing of his social democratic Labor Party. The course of his predecessor Keir Starmer had angered many Labor members.
Two-state solution is internationally considered the only path to peace
Israel conquered, among other things, the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live there among three million Palestinians. The Palestinians claim the areas for their own state. Israel's leading politicians reject the so-called two-state solution as an existential threat to their country. The split between the Palestinian organizations Fatah and Hamas has also been seen as a major obstacle to the realization of a Palestinian state since 2007.
