Diplomatic war between Israel and the United Kingdom: 12 countries impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank

It is diplomatic war between Israel and the United Kingdom. The Labor government in London, under the new leadership of Andy Burnham, has announced sanctions against trade in products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. A decision shared and also supported by eleven other countries, including Canada, France and other European and non-European states, which signed a joint declaration. Italy did not join. As Axios reports, even Donald Trump's American administration did not oppose London's initiative. The decision of Burnham's government came following the choice of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to proceed with a new settlement in the E1 area which would lead to dividing the West Bank, preventing the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.

The joint declaration of the 12 countries

The heads of diplomacy of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden also signed the declaration, together with the United Kingdom, Canada and France. Some of these, starting from Dublin and Madrid, had already formally sanctioned the Israeli colonies on a commercial level. The statement underlines that "the actions of the Israeli government are undermining any possibility of a two-state solution" based on the "peaceful" coexistence of an Israeli and a Palestinian state side by side. The situation is “rapidly deteriorating to unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion,” the statement reads.

“Settlers answer for their crimes”

The 12 countries then reiterated that Netanyahu's government "must put an immediate end" to this process, ensuring that "the settlers are held accountable" for their crimes and "the accusations against the Israeli army are investigated" seriously. In conclusion, the 12 countries confirmed "their intention to introduce national restrictions or support European ones against trade in products from settlements, which are illegal under international law", while announcing that they will "actively evaluate further measures".

See also

West Bank, 12 countries impose sanctions on Israeli colonies

France: "The West Bank is about to explode, stop trade with Israeli colonies"

France is also among the countries that signed the declaration. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, declared that "the West Bank is on the brink of explosion", which is why Paris "will put an end to trade with Israeli settlements located in the occupied Palestinian territories, together with 11 other countries that have made similar commitments". In a post on This situation "seriously violates the dignity of the Palestinian people, jeopardizes the security of Israel, to which France is inextricably linked, and compromises the two-state solution, the only alternative to a permanent state of war", added the French minister. Then he reiterated: "No lasting peace is possible in the Middle East without Israel's security being rigorously guaranteed."

Türkiye: "The stop to trade with settlers is good"

Turkey also welcomed the decision of the 12 countries. "We welcome and support the measures adopted by twelve countries aimed at banning trade and business relations with illegal settlements in the West Bank", reads a statement from the Ankara Foreign Ministry. "We expect all responsible members of the international community to adopt similar decisions", adds the note, underlining that "Turkey will continue its commitment to the creation of an independent, sovereign and territorially contiguous State of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital".

See also

West Bank, Israeli settlers attack a house in Qusra