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The UK government is preparing to announce new restrictions on the purchase of goods produced in Jewish settlements located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to BBC sources. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is set to present these measures in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The restrictions are expected to focus primarily on agricultural products originating from these settlements. Last week, Miliband spoke about unveiling a “comprehensive reset” of the UK’s policy toward Israel.
Israeli authorities have previously warned of retaliatory actions if such restrictions were implemented. Settlements in the West Bank are generally considered illegal under international law, and recent months have seen an increase in settler violence targeting Palestinians in the area. One government minister told the BBC that the forthcoming statement would mark a transformative shift in the UK’s relationship with Israel and Palestine, emphasizing that the approach would extend beyond simple sanctions. Officials involved have worked on this policy change over the last two years, hoping to bring about tangible progress.
Labour MPs who have been briefed on the plan anticipate that the sanctions will specifically target trade linked to illegal settlements, including both goods and services. Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly confirmed Miliband’s upcoming Commons statement during a Labour parliamentary meeting, adding that he had discussed the plans with international leaders by phone earlier on Monday. Notably, Burnham had a conversation with US President Donald Trump in which he highlighted the importance of a two-state solution in the Middle East. However, the official statement from No 10 did not mention any briefing on the sanctions, and the US has yet to respond publicly to the UK’s proposals.
In July, Stephen Doughty, then Europe minister and now Middle East minister, described existing UK powers to impose sanctions in relation to settlements as insufficient. He remarked, “At the moment, we can sanction where there is evidence of it being linked to settler violence, but not, for example, in relation to a contractor working on the settlements. We need to expand our sanctions powers.” Although the government acknowledges that a ban on a relatively small amount of agricultural imports may be largely symbolic, this move is being framed as a significant reset in the UK’s wider approach to Israeli policy.
The announcement follows Israel’s decision to open tenders for constructing approximately 1,200 homes in the contentious E1 area, a strategically important zone east of Jerusalem. These plans have faced broad international condemnation. Israel had refrained from building in E1 for many years due to global diplomatic pressure. Speaking in his first parliamentary address as foreign secretary, Miliband described these settlement plans as “illegal under international law,” calling them “the crossing of a red line, as it cuts through the heart of the West Bank and risks making a Palestinian state unviable.” Prime Minister Burnham echoed these concerns, warning that the development in E1 might “imperil or end” the possibility of a two-state solution.
Tuesday’s announcement will come nearly a year after the UK government under Sir Keir Starmer recognized the state of Palestine and affirmed Britain’s moral responsibility to support a peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians. The government maintains that the rapid expansion of settlements threatens the viability of a two-state solution—a vision backed internationally since the late 20th century. This solution proposes an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, existing alongside Israel.
The political reality remains complex. Israel officially rejects a two-state outcome, the Palestinian Authority supports it, while Hamas opposes it due to its refusal to acknowledge Israel’s existence. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has established around 160 settlements housing approximately 700,000 Jewish residents on land Palestinians claim for a future state. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside these settlements. Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, there has been an increase in violent incidents against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank carried out by settlers
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