The United Kingdom announced on Tuesday a ban on importing goods produced in Israeli settlements located in the occupied West Bank, alongside the implementation of a comprehensive sanctions system.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that the legislation to ban imports from settlements, which London considers illegal, will be enacted within six to nine months.
Miliband accused the Israeli government of ‘turning a blind eye’ to what he termed ‘ethnic cleansing’ by settlers against Palestinians in parts of the West Bank.
He added that the UK views the entire Israeli occupation as illegal and emphasized that London will continue to assess the Israeli government by its actions.
Miliband noted that the proposals related to the 'E1' settlement project aim to create a reality that makes a two-state solution unfeasible, stressing that ensuring this solution remains ‘the compass’ guiding British government policy.
The British minister described the new measures as ‘the beginning of a new approach to addressing injustice,’ adding that his country’s dispute is not with the Israeli people but with their government’s actions.
He affirmed, however, that the UK and Israel will continue to collaborate on shared interests related to national security.
United Nations bodies and most governments, including the UK, consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. They see the West Bank as land under Israeli military occupation.
Conversely, Israel argues that these lands are ‘disputed’ and not occupied, asserting a historical right for Jews to this land.
Hezbollah Targeted by Sanctions
In another context, Miliband announced that the UK will impose sanctions on the ‘Al-Qard Al-Hassan’ Association, operated by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, labeling it as the group’s financial arm.
Last year, Lebanon’s central bank prohibited banks and financial brokerage firms from engaging with the association, which describes itself as a charitable organization offering loans to individuals following Islamic principles that prohibit fixed interest.