UK prepares proposed trade ban on goods from West Bank settlements
The government says expanded settlement activity has heightened the urgency of protecting prospects for Palestinian statehood, but the proposal’s scope and enforcement remain unclear.
The UK government is expected to announce a proposed trade ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband due to present the measures to Parliament.
Pensions Minister Pat McFadden said expanded settlement activity in recent weeks and months had made the threat to Palestinian statehood more urgent. Israel opened bidding in August for 1,234 housing units in the E1 settlement project, according to the report.
The government has not disclosed how the proposed ban would be enforced. McFadden said the measure was not intended to amount to a boycott of all Israeli goods, describing Israel as an important trading partner.
The proposal follows calls from more than 140 Labour MPs for a ban on trade with Israeli firms operating in the occupied West Bank. The UK recognised Palestinian statehood in 2025, according to the supplied material.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticised the reported plan as discriminatory and “irrational”. The proposal had not taken effect in the supplied material, and its legal basis and precise coverage remained undisclosed.
