The UK and France were among 12 countries to announce new trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, amid what they called a “rapidly deteriorating” situation marked by increasing settler attacks on Palestinians.
Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden joined the UK and France in confirming plans to introduce restrictions on trade with settlements, according to a joint statement from the countries’ foreign ministers.
“The Government of Israel’s actions in the West Bank are undermining the possibility of a two-State solution,” the statement reads, adding that there has been “unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion.”
“Together, we are resolute: the two-state solution must be protected, and we will take action in pursuit of a just and lasting peace,” it continued.
It comes after the Israeli government last month opened up tenders for the construction of around 1,200 housing units in the West Bank, drawing widespread condemnation from the international community and human rights groups.
The units, destined for the E1 settlement area, would further isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.
In their statement on Tuesday, the 12 foreign ministers called the decision to publish tenders “unacceptable.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “have agreed on the need to take action to prevent further damage,” the statement added.
‘Ethnic cleansing’
Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused “settler terrorists” of “ethnic cleansing” in areas of the West Bank, saying that the Israeli government had often “turned a blind eye to this.”
He announced that from today, the UK would also be bringing in an “import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.”
“I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets,” he told MPs.
In a post on X, Miliband’s French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, said Paris had taken the decision to enforce the sanctions as the West Bank was “on the brink of explosion.”
“Unchecked expansion of settlements in violation of international law, a surge in violence committed by extremist settlers against Palestinians, and acts of terror condemned by the Israeli authorities themselves,” he wrote.
Israel responds
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem in response to the moves taken by Westminster, as he hit out at Miliband’s statement.
“The accusations made today by the foreign secretary in the British Parliament were outrageous lies,” Sa’ar said.
The West Bank
The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and has seen a surge in violence since the start of the war in Gaza, which broke out following the Hamas militant group’s attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
According to a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, there were around 737,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as of October 2024.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.