Rarely has a British foreign secretary come under such ferocious attack as Ed Miliband over the past weeks.
Miliband provoked a two-pronged assault when he announced his intention to impose punitive measures against Israel in an attempt to halt settler violence - and rescue the prospect of a Palestinian state.
The foreign secretary is set to announce a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Tuesday. The ban will aim to bring the UK into compliance with the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of July 2024, according to Whitehall sources.
Many pro-Palestine advocates complain that Miliband's statement comes far too late, will not go nearly far enough and in any case will consist of largely meaningless gestures.
They are further angered by Labour's refusal to employ the term genocide, halt all arms sales to Israel and sanction Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
