On the 8th September, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Using the United Nations’ definition, Miliband, on behalf of the British Government, claimed that the Israeli occupation was not only unlawful but also facilitating an “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”.
Miliband outlined the sanctions in his speech in the House of Commons. Stating that the sanctions were not directed at Israel but rather the existing and expanding illegal settlements, Miliband said that the UK “will take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate for settlement expansion”.
In his speech, Miliband proceeded to announce a complete import ban on goods from illegal settlements and further sanctions on extremist settlers.
PM Andy Burnham spoke after the announcement that “leadership is about taking action where there is injustice”, further condemning the illegal settlements in the West Bank. Writing on X, Burnham said that “It is more important than ever that Britain stands for something.”
The United Kingdom’s sanctions are to be imposed alongside France and Canada. Additionally, the UK issued a joint statement with 11 other countries, all committing to supporting a two-state solution and to restricting trade with West Bank Settlements.
Miliband, in his statement, accepted that the government’s position was “overdue” but came following the approval of E1 tenders for over 1,200 homes. The homes would be built between Jerusalem and the large Israeli settlement, Ma’ale Adumim, which Miliband claimed in his speech was “the crossing of a long-standing red line”.
Miliband added that he had previously visited the E1 area in 2014, claiming that the E1 proposals would evict the “Bedouin communities which had lived on the land for generations”.
Quoting the Israeli Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, Miliband stated that the expansions would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.
Later on LBC, Miliband stated that the ever-expanding settlements would “endanger the viability of a two-state solution”.
The British PM reaffirmed Miliband’s position in a joint statement with France and Canada, stating that settlement expansion and settler violence “posed a direct and urgent threat” to peace, forcing the UK to act “before it’s too late”.
In retaliation to the UK government’s sanctions, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, condemned Miliband’s statements as “outrageous lies” whilst announcing the closure of the United Kingdom’s consulate in East Jerusalem, which previously represented the UK government.
Sa’ar went on to add that 11 UK MPs would be banned from entering Israel, including Jeremy Corbyn MP and Zarah Sultana MP. He denounced the entire Labour Party as “hostile”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, labelled the sanctions as a “grave miscalculation”, arguing that “sanctions are not a solution” and instructing all foreign governments to end boycotts and instead “turn towards constructive dialogue”.
