Finland has joined 11 countries backing trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as Britain announced an import ban and sanctions targeting settlement expansion.
The foreign ministers of Finland, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK issued a joint statement on Tuesday. The countries said they intend to introduce national measures, support European restrictions or consider further action against trade in settlement goods.
Britain went further by announcing a national ban on imports from Israeli settlements.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told parliament that Britain would also establish a sanctions regime targeting companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion.
The measures include restrictions on companies providing construction or financial services to settlements, a ban on advertising settlement property in Britain and sanctions against settlers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.
Britain will also refuse licence applications for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the illegal occupation.
Miliband said the British government now regards Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as unlawful and accepts that ethnic cleansing is taking place in parts of the territory.
He accused what he called “settler terrorists” of forcing Palestinians from their land and said the Israeli government had often failed to intervene.
Israel rejects accusations that its policies amount to ethnic cleansing.
The UK measures target settlements rather than trade with Israel as a whole. Miliband said he opposed a general boycott of Israeli goods and supported continued trade with Israel within its pre-1967 borders.
The import ban is expected to take between six and nine months to introduce, though Miliband told parliament the government would seek to implement it sooner.
France and Canada also announced plans for national restrictions on settlement goods.
Finland has not announced an equivalent national import ban. Its commitment forms part of the 12-country statement, which allows signatories to introduce national restrictions, support measures at European level or consider other action under their own procedures.
The ministers called on Israel to stop settlement expansion and ensure accountability for violence by settlers. They also opposed measures that amount to annexation of Palestinian land or forced displacement.
The countries said their action aims to protect a two-state solution in which Israel and a Palestinian state exist alongside each other. They also recognised Israel’s security concerns and condemned the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023.
The announcement follows plans for further construction in the West Bank, including the E1 project east of Jerusalem. The countries said the project would divide parts of the West Bank and damage the territorial basis for a Palestinian state.
Israel has criticised the British action. Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the trade restrictions as a “grave miscalculation”, while Israeli ministers threatened countermeasures.
The United States has also criticised the British decision. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that British companies might face restrictions in US states with anti-boycott legislation.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, by contrast, backed the measures. He told The Guardian that sanctions had become “unavoidable” because of violence and displacement in the West Bank. He said the measures targeted those responsible rather than Israel as a state.
The UK had already imposed sanctions on individuals and organisations accused of financing or supporting settler violence. In June, Britain and several partners announced measures including asset freezes and travel restrictions against people and entities linked to attacks and displacement in the West Bank.
Miliband also addressed the war in Gaza during his statement. He said there was increasing evidence of possible war crimes but said Britain would wait for judicial processes before reaching a position on allegations of genocide.
The UK continues to support proceedings before the International Court of Justice on that question.
HT
