Qatar welcomes UK trade ban on Israeli settlement goods

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, accusing the Israeli government of contributing to the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians by settlers. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that the move represents a shift in the UK's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, condemning injustice and acting against it.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing the UK of spreading an "outrageous lie" and announced counter-measures, including closing the UK's consulate in East Jerusalem. The sanctions will ban settlement goods and target companies and individuals providing services for settlement expansion. The UK, along with France and Canada, launched the sanctions alongside a joint statement emphasizing the action marks a "further turning point" in protecting the two-state solution.

The sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel, the UK Foreign Secretary added. Israel has opened tenders for the construction of around 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area, a move that has drawn widespread international condemnation. The UK announcement comes after Israel's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war.