UK plans sanctions on Israeli settlements over West Bank allegations
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says Britain will recognise Israel’s West Bank occupation as unlawful and restrict settlement-related trade, services and exports.
The UK government plans to recognise Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as unlawful and introduce sanctions targeting Israeli settlements, in the strongest condemnation of the policy reported by the government.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the measures would include an import ban on settlement goods, restrictions on construction and financing services, and a ban on advertising settlement properties in the UK. Personal sanctions would also be imposed on individuals accused of promoting settler violence.
The government would refuse arms licences and other export approvals for goods that materially contribute to the occupation. Britain has already suspended more than 30 arms licences connected to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Miliband attributed the measures to what he described as ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by settler groups, with the tacit backing of the Israeli government. The UK’s position is that settlements are illegal, while allegations of war crimes and ethnic cleansing remain subject to legal and independent determination.
The legislation needed to implement the measures is expected within nine months. France and Canada have announced similar restrictions on settlement goods, joining European countries including the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway in banning or moving towards bans on such products.
Miliband said the UK would not determine whether Israel had committed genocide before international courts rule, but would support judicial processes examining the allegations. The government also plans sanctions against Hezbollah’s financing arm, Al-Qard al-Hassan, and to reimpose major economic sanctions on Iran.
