UK Government Considers Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements

The United Kingdom government is examining a policy to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has appeared to accept the principle of a trade ban on goods produced in these settlements, which Britain identifies as illegal under international law. This potential move follows similar actions by other European nations, including Spain and Norway, and comes amid reports of increased settler violence and the issuance of tenders for over 1,200 new homes in the E1 development east of Jerusalem.

Israeli ministers have reacted with fury to the prospect of sanctions, with Benjamin Netanyahu accusing countries that impose such measures of moral bankruptcy. Within the Jewish community in Britain and the United States, some establishment figures have condemned the discussion of the policy. A center left perspective frames the ban as a long overdue necessity to stop an ideological land grab and a violation of international law. Meanwhile, a left perspective frames the opposition to the ban from Jewish officials as a contradiction, arguing that those who claim to oppose settlement expansion are often the most vigorous opponents of efforts to slow it down.