Key Facts

• The UK is preparing to ban trade with Israeli settlements deemed unlawful by international law.
• Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband promises a major change in UK policy towards Israel to address settlements and Gaza aid restrictions.
• The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused the UK government of "Jew hatred" following Miliband’s statements.
• Miliband is Jewish, but this fact was not mentioned by Huckabee in his criticism.
• The Israeli foreign ministry said there are no restrictions on bringing medicines into Gaza.
• Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on occupied territories, called the UK’s trade ban an important step but said it needs to be part of a wider shift to follow international law.
• Albanese said the ban should cover more than goods like agriculture and cosmetics; it should also include services, arms licensing, and intelligence cooperation.
• The UN advisory opinion declared all Israeli presence in the occupied territories unlawful and said all states must not support or sustain it.