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Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the UK government would introduce an import ban on all goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank while also targeting companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate activities that support settlement expansion. Miliband described the actions of what he called settler terrorists as amounting to ethnic cleansing in parts of the territory, adding that the Israeli government had turned a blind eye to much of the violence. In a joint statement with the leaders of France and Canada, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the measures marked a further turning point in efforts to protect the two-state solution before it was too late, according to a Reuters dispatch from London. The announcement aligns with a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion that the UK now accepts as determining the occupation to be unlawful.
Israel responded by ordering the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem and banning entry to 11 British members of parliament, among them former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and lawmaker Diane Abbott, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the UK measures as morally distorted and a blatant interference in Israeli affairs, particularly with national elections approaching in October. According to an Associated Press report, Israel characterised the steps as an attempt to impose a political stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the guise of addressing violence. The foreign ministry added that the real essence of these steps was to challenge the right of Jews to settle in the land of Israel.
The coordinated action involves 12 countries including Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden that issued a joint statement reaffirming support for a negotiated two-state solution and committing to national or European restrictions on trade with settlements. France and Canada confirmed they would implement similar import bans on settlement goods while the group expressed concern over the frenzied expansion of settlements and a flare-up of violence. A Guardian assessment of the policy noted that Britain had already sanctioned two Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, earlier this year over their roles in settlement policy, a step the European Union has not yet taken because of internal divisions. The latest measures build on UK guidance issued in June that explicitly advised businesses against economic or financial activity in the illegal settlements.
Data compiled by Israeli authorities and cited across multiple outlets including The New York Times indicate that Israel has constructed around 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East war, housing approximately 700,000 Jewish residents in territory that Palestinians seek for a future state. The Al Jazeera account of the announcement highlighted that the UK move represents its most significant policy shift since it recognised Palestinian statehood in 2025. Miliband stated that the British people would not want to support the occupation by accepting settlement products in their shops and supermarkets, according to a transcript of his parliamentary address. The policy is expected to take between six and nine months to fully implement.
United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticised the British decision as discrimination against the Jewish people and suggested it could invite repercussions or retaliation from Washington, a position echoed in remarks reported by CBS News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the United States would not follow the UK lead and warned that the sanctions risked destabilising the West Bank at a time when regional tensions remained high. The Times of Israel coverage indicated that Rubio stressed the need to avoid anything that could undermine de-escalation efforts in the territory. Palestinian officials welcomed the development with the Palestinian ambassador to the UK calling it long overdue and a shift from words to action following last year’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described the day as a truly dark day for British Jews and accused the government of ignoring deep concerns expressed by the community, according to a BBC compilation of reactions. The Palestinian foreign ministry commended the participating countries for moving against the illegal settlement enterprise but called for more urgent and concrete steps to halt its growth. A Euronews summary of the diplomatic fallout noted that the measures have placed British-Israeli relations at one of their lowest points in decades while a dozen nations now back restrictions on settlement trade. The UK government continues to support trade with Israel within the pre-1967 lines.
