LONDON (AP) — Britain intends to ban goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to an expansion program that threatens efforts to create a Palestinian state, the British government said Tuesday.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is due to give details to the House of Commons later after he said last week he would “reset” Britain’s relationship with Israel.
Before the announcement, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said it was “not intended to be a boycott of all Israeli products”.
He said the measures were “specifically aimed at expanding these settlements, which are illegal under international law, in the West Bank.”
“At the heart of the statement is the idea that the UK, like many other countries, does not want the possibility of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine to be erased by changes in the facts on the ground,” McFadden told Times Radio.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is the most ultra-nationalist and religious in Israeli history and is leading a wave of settlement building in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and which will form the bulk of a future Palestinian state.
Netanyahu’s government views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
The United Kingdom, a longtime ally of Israel, recognized Palestinian statehood last year in an attempt to restart faltering efforts to achieve a two-state solution.
The centre-left Labor government had previously imposed sanctions on some Israeli settlers and illegal outposts over violence against Palestinians and illegal development in the West Bank. Tuesday’s announcement is intended to expand the sanctions to include trade in goods and possibly some services with all settlements in the West Bank.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expressed concern about the E1 settlement project approved by Israel, which will effectively divide the territory in two. Palestinians and human rights groups say it could dash hopes for a future Palestinian state.
A tougher line on settlements is likely to be welcomed by many Labor voters and lawmakers, who have called on the government to go further in sanctions against Israel and support for the Palestinians.
But some have expressed concern that the move could increase support for Netanyahu, who faces an uphill battle for re-election in October.
Senior Israeli ministers have condemned the UK government’s upcoming announcement. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned that “if Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s hard-line public security minister, called on Netanyahu to recognize Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic known in Argentina as the Malvinas Islands.
The move was also criticized by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said it was “discrimination against the Jewish people.” He said the UK could face “consequences or retaliation” from the US if it imposes sanctions.
Burnham’s office said the prime minister spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday and outlined the UK’s “commitment to working towards peace and security in the region” and achieving a two-state solution. There was no word on how Trump responded.