{
  "id": 6300437,
  "title": "Trade sanctions on Israeli settlements attacked as ‘performative’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/trade-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements-attacked-as-performative",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T16:18:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/trade-sanctions-on-israeli-settlements-attacked-as-performative/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat criticized the trade sanctions imposed by the UK government on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, calling them \"performative\" and potentially damaging to the UK's international reputation. These sanctions, announced by Ed Miliband, would target companies and individuals involved in financing or creating settlements on Palestinian land, a territory recognized as a country by the Labour government last year. The sanctions, expected to take up to nine months to implement, have been met with criticism over their potential to affect both Israeli and Palestinian parties, as well as concerns about the risk of sectarianism and antisemitism in the UK and abroad.\n\nTugendhat, who recently moved to the opposition frontbench following a promotion by Kemi Badenoch, described the sanctions as \"light\" in effectiveness but \"dangerous\" due to their potential consequences. He argued that the government's decision lacked widespread support and was a form of \"performative politics.\" The Foreign Office, according to Tugendhat, was acting without due caution by introducing sanctions that were both insufficient and potentially harmful.\n\nThe announcement came amidst a growing diplomatic backlash from officials in Israel and the United States. Israel responded by closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem, removing British representatives from a Gaza support center, and banning 12 parliamentarians, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbot, from entering the country. In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the United States would not follow suit with sanctions, expressing concerns about the potential impact on efforts related to Gaza, the proposed 20-point plan, and the Board of Peace.",
  "summary": "Trade sanctions imposed by Andy Burnham’s government on Israeli settlements in the West Bank are “performative” and could put the UK’s international standing at threat, shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat has said. On Tuesday, Ed Miliband announced the government would impose sanctions on companies and individuals who finance or help create settlements in Palestinian land, [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}