LONDON: The UK has announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing the Israeli government of failing to prevent what it described as the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians by settlers.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the measures represented the “beginning of a new approach” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—one that, he said, would not merely highlight injustice and suffering but also take concrete action.
The decision prompted a strong reaction from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Miliband of making an “outrageous lie” and announced retaliatory measures, including plans to close the UK consulate in East Jerusalem.
Under the new sanctions, goods produced by Israeli settlements will be banned, while companies and individuals involved in providing services that facilitate settlement expansion will also face measures.
The UK introduced the sanctions jointly with France and Canada. In a joint statement, the three countries said the move represented another significant shift in their efforts to protect the two-state solution.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, while violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the territory has increased in recent months.
Addressing MPs, Miliband said the British government considered the forced removal of Palestinians from parts of the West Bank by settler groups to constitute ethnic cleansing. He accused the Israeli government of repeatedly failing to act against such conduct and said some members of the government had made statements or taken actions supporting the displacement of Palestinians.
Miliband cited the UN definition of ethnic cleansing as a deliberate policy by one ethnic or religious group to forcibly remove another such group from a particular area.
He also said the UK considers Israel’s occupation of the West Bank unlawful because of its consolidation of control over the territory, its intention to establish permanent sovereignty and its expansion through settlements.
According to Miliband, the UK’s position is consistent with a 2024 advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice. He said this position should also be reflected in Britain’s economic relationship with the occupied West Bank.
The foreign secretary said the UK would establish a “new comprehensive sanctions regime” over the next six to nine months. The government will also prohibit advertisements promoting illegal settlements in the West Bank from being published in the UK.
Miliband emphasized that the sanctions were directed at settlements and settlement expansion rather than Israel itself. Prime Minister Andy Burnham later said the targeted measures were designed not to penalize the Israeli people but to support efforts toward achieving a two-state solution.
(Inputs from BBC)
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