Key facts
- The UK government has imposed trade sanctions on companies and individuals involved with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
- Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat criticized the sanctions as "performative" and potentially harmful to the UK's international standing.
- Israel has responded by closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem and banning several UK parliamentarians from entering the country.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the US would not implement similar sanctions.
The UK government, under Ed Miliband, has announced trade sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in financing or establishing Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. This move follows the Labour government's formal recognition of Palestine as a country last year. The sanctions, which could take up to nine months to implement, have drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures, including shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat. Tugendhat described the measures as "performative politics," arguing they are too "light" as they do not target settlers directly, yet "serious" in their potential to incite sectarianism and antisemitism within the UK and abroad. He also suggested the timing, shortly before an Israeli general election, could inadvertently aid extremist campaigns.
In response to the UK's sanctions, Israel has closed the British Consulate in Jerusalem and removed British representatives from a support center for Gaza. Furthermore, Israel has banned 12 UK parliamentarians, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbot, from entering the country. The United States, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has indicated it will not follow the UK's lead, expressing concerns that such actions could impede progress on peace initiatives for Gaza.