The United Kingdom, France and Canada have announced plans to ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as a broader group of countries moves to impose or consider trade restrictions over settlement expansion and rising settler violence.
The three countries said they would bring forward national measures targeting settlement goods, according to a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of 12 countries on Sept. 8.
The wider group — Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK — said they intend to introduce national restrictions, support European restrictions, or actively consider measures targeting trade with settlements.
The countries said the situation in the West Bank was “rapidly deteriorating,” citing increasing settler violence and settlement expansion, including Israel’s decision to publish tenders for the E1 settlement project.
“Together, we are resolute: the two-state solution must be protected, and we will take action in pursuit of a just and lasting peace,” the joint statement said.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that the UK would introduce an import ban on goods from settlements as part of a new sanctions regime.
The measures will also target certain companies and individuals providing services linked to settlement expansion, including construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate. The UK expects the legislation to be in place within six to nine months.
Miliband stressed that the measures would target settlements and their expansion rather than Israel as a whole, saying Britain would continue trade with Israel within its internationally recognised pre-1967 boundaries.
France separately confirmed it would begin the process of banning products from Israeli settlements, citing what Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described as rapid settlement expansion and escalating violence against Palestinians. Details and the implementation timetable for the French ban have yet to be finalised.
The United Nations, Palestinians and most countries consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, a position disputed by Israel.
Israel strongly condemned the measures and announced retaliatory steps, including the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Britain of interfering in Israel’s affairs and said several British nationals would also be barred from entering Israel. (Newswire)