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Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have come under a major new British crackdown, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband telling the House of Commons that the UK now officially considers Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory unlawful and will introduce restrictions targeting settlement-related trade and activity./\
UK toughens policy on Israeli settlements
Addressing Parliament in London on Tuesday, Miliband said the British government had reached the conclusion that the occupation itself is unlawful, citing Israel’s expanding control, settlement construction and policies that he said were undermining the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
He noted that the number of Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories has risen sharply since the 1993 Oslo Accords. According to Miliband, around 770,000 settlers now live in the territories, compared with approximately 270,000 at the time of the accords.
The foreign secretary also pointed to the E1 settlement project, where tenders have been issued for more than 1,200 homes. He warned that such developments could create permanent facts on the ground and make a future two-state solution increasingly difficult to achieve.
New sanctions and settlement trade ban
As part of the new policy, Britain will introduce a ban on imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. The government also plans to impose measures against companies and individuals providing construction, infrastructure, financing and real-estate services connected to settlement expansion.
The UK will additionally prohibit the advertising of settlement properties in Britain and impose further sanctions on extremist settlers accused of violence against Palestinian communities.
Miliband stressed that the measures are aimed at settlement activity rather than Israel itself. Britain will continue supporting trade with Israel within its internationally recognised boundaries, while maintaining its opposition to policies that undermine a negotiated two-state settlement.
Britain’s move comes alongside similar action announced by France and Canada. Several other European countries have either restricted settlement goods or signalled support for further measures.
Growing concerns over West Bank violence
Miliband said settler violence had reached unprecedented levels, citing United Nations figures showing an average of six violent settler attacks against Palestinians each day this year.
He said dozens of Palestinian communities had been displaced since 2023, with thousands of Palestinians forced from their homes as a result of settler violence and state actions. The British government also endorsed the description of ethnic cleansing in parts of the West Bank, a highly consequential assessment that represents a significant escalation in London’s language.
The UK has previously imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on individuals, organisations and settler outposts linked to violence against Palestinians.
Gaza humanitarian crisis
Turning to Gaza, Miliband said more than 70,000 people had been killed during the conflict, including at least 20,000 children, while nearly two million people remained displaced.
He said hospitals and clinics had been destroyed and more than 60 percent of homes were in ruins. The foreign secretary said reports by international bodies provided increasing evidence that war crimes may have been committed, while stressing that judicial processes should determine legal responsibility.
Miliband also expressed concern that more than 1,200 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire declared nearly a year earlier. He pledged continued British humanitarian support for Gaza and called for improved access to healthcare and aid.
Britain reaffirms two-state solution
Despite the sharper criticism of Israeli government policies, Miliband reiterated Britain’s support for Israel’s security and its right to exist alongside a Palestinian state.
He said the two-state solution remains the central objective of British policy and argued that lasting stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved without Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace, security and self-determination.
The announcement represents one of Britain’s strongest policy shifts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years, with London seeking to combine diplomatic pressure, targeted sanctions and trade restrictions with renewed international efforts to preserve the possibility of a Palestinian state.See More on Pulse Paksitan
