Twelve Nations Announce Trade Sanctions on Israeli West Bank Settlements
15 sources across 9 countries
Who reported this
- Haaretz
- The Times of Israel
- The Jerusalem Post
- The Guardian
- The Independent
- BBC News
- Le Monde
- France 24
- ANSA
- Corriere della Sera
- La Tercera
- The Indian Express
- The Japan Times
- Taipei Times
- Al-Monitor
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Twelve countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, announced on Tuesday that they will impose sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The group, which also includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, stated that the measures are intended to protect the two state solution amid increasing settler violence and settlement expansion. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, announced a comprehensive sanctions regime that includes an import ban on goods from illegal settlements, a ban on arms licenses that materially contribute to the occupation, and restrictions on services such as construction and financing for settlements. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that the UK now officially views the entire Israeli occupation of the West Bank as unlawful, citing a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion. Miliband further accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing perpetrated by settler terrorists.
Israel responded with immediate counter measures. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described Miliband's claims as outrageous lies and announced the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem. Israel also banned 12 British individuals from entering the country, including MPs such as Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, accusing them of anti Israel and antisemitic activity. Additionally, Israel announced the expulsion of British representatives from a Gaza ceasefire monitoring center and the termination of British training for Palestinian Authority forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue establishing settlements despite the international pressure.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington would not follow the UK's course of action, citing a desire to avoid destabilizing the West Bank. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee characterized the UK's move as discrimination against the Jewish people. Hamas described the sanctions as a step in the right direction but called them insufficient, demanding the prosecution of Israeli war criminals. The UK government expects the trade ban legislation to be in place within nine months.
How each side framed it
- Left
- This outlet focused on the immediate legal and diplomatic consequences of the sanctions, specifically the closure of the consulate and the banning of officials.
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the moral urgency of the UK's shift in policy and framed the sanctions as a necessary stand against injustice and ethnic cleansing.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the diplomatic facts of the sanctions and the specific retaliatory measures taken by Israel.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the negative impact of the sanctions on the Jewish community and framed the UK government's rhetoric as demonizing the Jewish state.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Axe from London and 11 others against settlers, Israel closes the United Kingdom consulate
- Centre Al-Monitor: UK, France, Canada to ban imports from Israeli settlements
- Centre Al-Monitor: Israel's foreign minister says it is closing British consulate in East Jerusalem
- Centre BBC News: Where is Israel's proposed West Bank settlement the UK opposes?
- Centre BBC News: UK announces sanctions on West Bank settlements prompting furious Israeli response
- Centre BBC News: Why Has The UK Government Changed Its Approach to Israel?
- Centre BBC News: Paul Adams: British-Israeli relations at lowest ebb in decades
- Centre-right Corriere della Sera: British minister Miliband against Israel: «An ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is taking place in the West Bank»
- Centre France 24: For London, Israel "turns a blind eye" to an "ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank
- Centre France 24: West Bank: 12 States end trade with Israeli settlers
- Centre France 24: Twelve countries want to sanction Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank
- Centre France 24: West Bank: three questions about Western sanctions against Israeli settlements
- Left Haaretz: Israel bars U.K. officials, closes Jerusalem consulate in response to West Bank settlement sanctions
- Left Haaretz: Israel, welcome to the sanctions era: U.K. heralds new reality that won't end with Netanyahu
- Centre-right La Tercera: Hamas sees UK veto on trade with Israeli settlements as "correct" but "insufficient"
- Centre-left Le Monde: Eleven European countries and Canada impose sanctions on Israel against products from colonies in the West Bank
- Centre-left Taipei Times: 12 countries including France, UK say will sanction trade with Israeli
- Centre-left The Guardian: Ed Miliband has overturned decades of Foreign Office inertia on illegal Israeli settlements
- Centre-left The Guardian: The Guardian view on Britain’s new Middle East policy: an unlawful occupation must carry a price | Editorial
- Centre-left The Guardian: I believe in a two-state solution in the Middle East. That’s why we’re taking action to keep that hope alive | Andy Burnham
- Centre-left The Guardian: Commons breathes a sigh of relief as UK finally takes a moral stance of Israeli settlements | John Crace
- Centre-left The Guardian: Ella Baron on the UK’s ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements – cartoon
- Centre-left The Guardian: UK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backing
- Centre-left The Independent: Israel bans 12 British MPs from entering country after West Bank sanctions row
- Centre The Indian Express: Why the UK is banning goods from illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank
- Centre The Japan Times: Israel to close British consulate in East Jerusalem following import ban from settlements
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Ed Miliband: The 'proud British Jew' who turned his back on Britain's Jews - comment
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: ‘If you boycott Israel, we boycott you’: Florida Rep. Fine warns UK of consequences - interview
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Playing politics with security: Jerusalem must review UK privileges amidst sanctions - editorial
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Miliband invoked his 60 relatives murdered in the Holocaust, then announced sanctions on Israel
- Centre The Times of Israel: Full speech: Ed Miliband says entire occupation unlawful, slams ‘settler terrorists’ and Israeli government that indulges them
- Centre The Times of Israel: Briefed in advance, Trump didn’t ask UK to hold off on announcing settlement sanctions — official
- Centre The Times of Israel: Denouncing ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank, UK announces ban on all dealings with settlements
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