UK to announce trade restrictions on West Bank settlements
Britain plans to impose an embargo on goods and services linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, prompting criticism from Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers.
Britain is set to unveil trade restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a move described as an embargo on certain goods and services. The measures are expected to be announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who has said they respond to settlement expansion, including the controversial E1 project east of Jerusalem, and aim to protect the prospect of a two-state solution.
The decision follows a phone conversation between UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Burnham emphasized the importance of a two-state solution.
Israeli officials have condemned the planned restrictions. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retaliate with sanctions of his own.
In the United States, Representative Randy Fine warned that the measures could affect companies subject to Florida’s anti-boycott law.
"On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution," a UK spokesperson said.
"We will not be a doormat for an antisemitic government in a country occupied by radical Islam that is trying to escape economic and social collapse by attacking Jews and the State of Israel," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.
"Israel’s Prime Minister should retaliate by recognizing Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and imposing sanctions on Britain," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote in Spanish on X.