UK bans goods from Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank
The measures also include tougher restrictions on arms sales and expanded sanctions targeting settlement expansion, while their timing and legal scope remain unresolved.
The United Kingdom has announced a ban on imports of goods produced by Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, alongside tougher restrictions on arms sales to Israel.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the measures as a “comprehensive reset” of UK policy, saying they target settlements and their expansion rather than Israel or its people. The government also said it would extend its human-rights sanctions regime to enable action against settlement expansion, including the proposed E1 development.
The measures are not a general boycott of Israel. UK-Israel trade was worth about £6 billion in 2025, while imports from the occupied territory were estimated at £38 million. The settlement ban is expected to affect less than 1 per cent of bilateral trade.
The UK previously required documentation showing where goods were produced and denied preferential tariffs to settlement products. The new ban’s legal mechanism, detailed scope and implementation date have not been specified.
Miliband also announced sanctions on Hezbollah’s Al-Qard al-Hasan financing arm and plans to reimpose sanctions on Iran. Twelve countries issued a joint statement supporting a two-state solution and indicating plans to restrict trade with Israeli settlements, although equivalent bans have not been confirmed across all countries. Al Jazeera Global News reported that the measures have drawn competing responses from Palestinian advocates, human-rights groups and Jewish organisations in Britain.
