UK government defends decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements
Summary
The UK government, led by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, announced a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, stopping imports and services connected to those areas. Israel responded by closing the British consulate in east Jerusalem and barring several British lawmakers from entering Israel.Key Facts
- The UK will ban all goods imported from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
- British companies are barred from providing services (like financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate, and advertising) to these settlements.
- The ban will take effect within nine months.
- Israel closed the British consulate in east Jerusalem and banned entry to 11 British lawmakers in response.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized the UK and ended UK participation in a joint military center and training for Palestinian Authority security forces.
- The UK’s chief rabbi criticized the government’s decision, calling it “gesture politics,” but Foreign Secretary Miliband disagreed.
- Other countries such as France and Canada have said they will consider similar bans to limit settlement expansion.
- Several European countries have either banned goods from settlements or support similar actions.
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