Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has called on the British government to ban imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, citing concerns over settler violence and the undermining of a two-state solution.
The UK's potential new measures, including a ban on settlement goods and sanctions, signal a hardening stance against Israeli settlement expansion, which is widely considered illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace in the region.
Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has renewed her call for the British government to ban imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. She expressed frustration that the government has yet to act on her committee's previous recommendation.
Thornberry criticized the current Israeli government's settlement expansion as an effort to extinguish hope for a Palestinian state and undermine a two-state solution, highlighting what she described as the worst settler violence seen to date.
Her remarks coincide with the UK government's announcement of forthcoming "measures" against Israel concerning new settlement construction east of Jerusalem, specifically the E1 plan. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that this project threatens a two-state solution and urged Israel to halt the plans immediately.
Israel issued a tender for 1,234 settlement units within the E1 plan, an area between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. This tender covers residential, industrial, and tourism plans, along with infrastructure.
Miliband indicated that the UK will outline a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks, which may include sanctions targeting individuals involved in illegal settlement expansion. UK Minister of State for the Middle East, Stephen Doughty, echoed this condemnation, calling the move a deliberate act to undermine a two-state solution.
Previously, Middle East Eye reported that the UK government was preparing new policies on Israel, including a ban on settlement goods and potential sanctions on individuals and ministers linked to the settler movement. The UK currently does not ban trade with settlements, though it advises businesses against involvement and settlement goods do not receive preferential tariff treatment.