U.K. Leads 12-Nation Effort to Restrict Trade with Israeli Settlements
The United Kingdom has led a coordinated effort by 12 governments to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, following a string of violent incidents against Palestinians. The U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the import ban on all goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, citing ethnic cleansing and violence perpetrated by settler terrorists.
The U.N. reports that 80 attacks carried out by Israeli settlers resulted in casualties or property damage between August 11 and 24, with over 1,040 Palestinians injured and 79 killed this year, including 19 children. The violence has been ongoing since the terror attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage.
The U.K., Canada, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden have all backed national or European restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements. The 12 governments stated that Israel's actions undermine the prospect of a two-state solution, calling for a halt on settlement expansions and accountability for settler violence.
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, notes that the settler economy produces mainly agricultural goods such as dates, avocados, and herbs. However, some products originating from settlements are labeled as coming from Israel, making it difficult to separate the two economies.