UK Set to Impose Sanctions on Israeli Settlements in West Bank
A longtime ally of Israel, the U.K. has condemned plans to expand the settlements, which are widely considered illegal under international law.
The UK government is set to impose sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, the measures are specifically targeted at the expansion of these settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
The move is intended to support the possibility of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and is not meant to be a boycott of all Israeli goods. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is due to give details of the sanctions in the House of Commons.
The decision has sparked an angry backlash from Israel and the United States, with America's ambassador to Israel, according to Malay Mail, calling the decision "irrational" and Israel threatening retaliatory action.
Brief written by urgent.news from The New York Times, Associated Press, Malay Mail — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- 'Standing up for freedom': British politicians react to UK sanctions on Israeli settlements middleeasteye.net
- UK government says France and Canada will join it in banning goods from Israeli West Bank settlements toronto.citynews.ca
- U.S. envoy warns U.K. against new plan to sanction Israeli settlements cbsnews.com
- UK imposes trade ban on goods from Israeli West Bank settlements scmp.com
- UK announces trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank dw.com
- In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers bbc.co.uk
- UK bans goods from Israeli West Bank settlements: What that really means aljazeera.com
