UK sanctions plan triggers Israeli closure of consulate in East Jerusalem
Britain says it will target goods, companies and individuals linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while Israel announces diplomatic and political countermeasures.
The United Kingdom has announced plans for a comprehensive sanctions regime targeting Israeli settlements and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, prompting Israel to announce the closure of the UK consulate in East Jerusalem.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the measures would include a ban on settlement goods, action against companies and individuals providing services for settlement expansion, and a prohibition on advertising illegal West Bank settlements in the UK. He said the regime would be introduced over six to nine months, although its precise legal mechanism and implementation date have not been specified.
Miliband cited settler violence, settlement expansion and what he described as the “ethnic cleansing” and forced displacement of Palestinians. He said the measures were directed at settlements and their expansion, rather than Israel or its people, and were intended to support a two-state solution.
The announcement followed Israeli tenders for about 1,200 settlement homes in the strategically important E1 area east of Jerusalem. Miliband said development there would make a two-state solution unviable by cutting through the centre of Palestinian territory. Settlements in the occupied West Bank are widely regarded as illegal under international law.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the UK’s position and announced the consulate’s closure, along with entry bans affecting 11 British MPs. Israel also said British training for Palestinian Authority forces would end and British representatives would be removed from a Gaza coordination centre.
The measures were announced alongside France and Canada, with 11 other countries issuing a joint statement supporting national action or European restrictions on settlement goods. The UK also announced sanctions on Hezbollah’s financing arm and further sanctions on Iran. Israel rejects allegations of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, and says any final settlement with the Palestinians must result from negotiations.
