UK set to announce sanctions on unlawful Israeli settlements in big ‘reset’ of relations
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is set to tell MPs that the UK is launching economic sanctions against illegal settlements in the West Bank – but a minister insisted it is not a boycott of all Israeli goods
Andy Burnham has voiced alarm over the illegal E1 settlement on the West Bank(Image: Debbie Hill/UPI/Shutterstock)
Ed Miliband is expected to announce a dramatic ‘reset’ of the UK’s relations with Israel today by announcing sanctions on illegal West Bank settlements.
The Foreign Secretary will address the Commons as he unveils a tougher stance under Andy Burnham. It comes amid growing international pressure on Israel over unlawful expansions, but is likely to spark a backlash from Israel and the Donald Trump.
This morning government minister Pat McFadden insisted the measures to be announced would not be a boycott of all Israeli goods. He told Sky News: “The Foreign Secretary will make a statement later today to Parliament.
“And what I want your viewers to know about this is the overriding drive behind it is the idea of keeping alive the possibility of a two-state solution in the Middle East. What do we mean by that?
“We mean a safe and secure Israel living alongside an independent and free Palestinian state. That has been an objective of UK foreign policy and the foreign policy of many other countries for many years. And what we’re really concerned about is that there is an attempt openly by some Israeli ministers to erase that possibility through the expansion of these settlements in the West Bank.”
Mr Miliband is set to tell MPs how the UK intends to ensure goods are from the West Bank settlements rather than elsewhere in Israel. Mr McFadden said: “I think it’s also important to say that Israel is an important trading partner for the UK. This isn’t intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods.”
As news of the proposed announcement was reported on Monday, Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, claimed: “The Brits have lost it. The Jew hate of their government knows no boundaries and knows no facts.”
Mr McFadden responded: “Look, I fundamentally reject that. When it comes to the Jewish community in the UK, this is a really important part of our society. I want Jewish people in the UK to be able to live their lives freely, in education, in work, in worship, in all aspects of their lives.
“And I and every government minister would condemn any attacks on the Jewish community in the UK.”
On Monday Mr Burnham spoke to Mr Trump. In a statement No10 said Mr Burnham had set out “the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region”. No10 said the PM had stressed the importance of the two-state solution – but made no mention of how the president responded.
Tensions in the West Bank have flared in recent months, with a rise in violence towards Palestinians by settlers.. Mr Burnham has previously suggested he would change the government’s approach to the conflict in Gaza soon after coming into office in July.
He has voiced particular concerns about the E1 settlement – where Israel has given final approval for a controversial project that would effectively separate the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem.
Israel has already threatened to retaliate if the UK imposes sanctions over the potential expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Foreign minister Gideon Saar warning: “If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.”
And far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly recognise the Falkland Islands as “Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people”.
He wrote on X: “The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people. I call upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador. “Expel the British ambassador tonight!,” he wrote on X on Monday evening.
“We will not be a doormat trampled by an antisemitic government, in a country conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel. The British Mandate in the Land of Israel is over.”
