Middle East live: Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem after sanctions on settlements
France 24 · LC · trust 57/100
By: FRANCE 24 An Israeli soldier stands guard against the backdrop of newly established Israeli settlement outpost in Beit Sahur, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank on August 14, 2026. © Ahmad Gharabli, AFP British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government on Tuesday of turning a "blind eye" to what he called "ethnic cleansing" by settlers in the West Bank as the UK joined France and ten other countries in banning imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. The decision comes amid rising violence over settlement expansion. Follow our liveblog for the latest.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that Israeli settlements in the occupeid West Bank undermined prospects for a two-state solution.
"Systematic settlement expansion in the West Bank, including the Government of Israel's latest decision to progress the E1 settlement, as well as the dramatic increase in settler violence, pose a direct and urgent threat to that vision for peace," the leaders said in a joint statement.
The main produce from West Bank settlements is agricultural, including dates, citrus fruits, herbs and wine, and makes up only a tiny fraction of Israel's total exports.
Given the small volume of exports from the settlements, the trade bans are largely symbolic, and will not dent larger bilateral trade flows, but are part of wider efforts to reinforce support for the two-state solution.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the sanctions could be destabilizing for the West Bank, adding that Washington would not follow Britain, France and Canada in blocking imports from Israeli settlements.
Former British Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn said the sanctions on illegal settlements did not go far enough. He demanded Britain end arms sales, military cooperation, and what he called "all forms of support that sustain Israel’s system of apartheid, occupation and genocide".
The ban will take in imports of all goods from the settlements and bar companies from providing services for the settlements, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said.
“I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets," Miliband said.
The economic impact is likely to be limited, since the settlements produce only a small amount of largely agricultural exports. But the move is a symbolic expression of displeasure with Israel by some of its closest allies, and it offers a new sign of the Israeli government's growing isolation as a result of the Gaza war.
The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway have either banned goods from settlements or are in the process of doing so, Miliband said on Tuesday, while Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have pledged to “support further action”.
British foreign minister Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government on Tuesday of turning a "blind eye" to what he called "ethnic cleansing" by settlers in the West Bank. Miliband told parliament the UK government would introduce "an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories", in a move coordinated with other countries. Jordana Miller, ABC correspondent in Jerusalem, told FRANCE 24 that the ban was evidence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to rein in the far-right elements of his government that has facilitated the growth of settlements.
The Israeli foreign ministry issued a list of 12 British nationals who will be refused entry if they seek to visit. They include Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour Party leader and outspoken Palestinian advocate, as well as Zarah Sultana, who joined Corbyn in breaking away from Labour to form the left-wing Your Party.
Also on the ban list is Diane Abbott, a Labour MP who came under fire for remarks downplaying the extent of antisemitism and was admitted back into the party under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
"Successive Canadian governments have held the position that a two-state solution is the way forward for long-term peace that also addresses Israel's legitimate security concerns. Illegal settlements in the West Bank significantly undermine these objectives," Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand wrote on X.
France, also introducing a ban on West Bank products, cited the "frenzied expansion" of settlements there and a "flare up of violence" as the reasons for it taking action.
Britain, France and Canada were joined by the foreign ministers of 10 other countries, including Denmark, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden, in a statement reaffirming support for a negotiated two-state settlement.
"Together, we are resolute: the two-state solution must be protected, and we will take action in pursuit of a just and lasting peace," they said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Britain would no longer be able to allowed to participate in the U.S.-led coordination mission for Gaza in Israel, that British training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank would be terminated, and that some elected UK officials and other nationals would be banned from entering Israel.
"The British move is morally distorted, and constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process," he said, labelling what he described as accusations made by Foreign Minister Ed Miliband earlier as "outrageous lies".
Israel said on Tuesday it was closing Britain's consulate in East Jerusalem in response to plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
British foreign minister Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government on Tuesday of turning a "blind eye" to what he called "ethnic cleansing" by settlers in the West Bank.
Miliband told parliament the UK government would…
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