Canada, the United Kingdom and France have announced plans to ban imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The announcement was made by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. He said the UK would also impose targeted sanctions on companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate linked to settlement expansion.
Miliband said the measures were prompted by Israel’s recent plans to build about 1,200 new settler homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, as well as increasing violence against Palestinians.
He also said the British government believes Palestinians are facing ethnic cleansing in parts of the West Bank carried out by violent settlers.
Canada and France said they would take similar action against goods from Israeli settlements. Other European countries, including the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway, have either introduced or are considering similar measures.
The United Nations and most countries consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, while Israel rejects this position and says the territory is disputed.
Israel Announces Retaliatory Measures
Israel strongly rejected the British government’s accusations. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described Miliband’s comments as “outrageous lies.”
Israel said it would take several countermeasures, including:
Closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
Expelling British representatives from a joint military centre monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.
Ending British training of Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank.
Banning 12 British elected officials and other individuals from entering Israel.
The measures mark a further deterioration in relations between Israel and the three Western countries, which previously announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
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