Britain is to announce wide-ranging economic restrictions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, including a ban on trade in goods produced in the settlements, reports said Monday, in what would mark a significant escalation in London’s pressure on Israel and possibly prompt similar measures by other countries.
The New York Times reported that seven officials briefed on the measures had said the package was expected to include a trade ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements. Three of the officials said it could also include sanctions on companies helping to build settlements.
The measures would go significantly beyond previous British sanctions related to the West Bank, which have targeted individual settlers and far-right Israeli ministers. Lord Tariq Ahmad, who served as Britain’s Middle East minister until 2024 and has knowledge of the expected policy, told the New York Times that the government was “broadening the extent of the sanctions from individuals to looking at processes and the system.”
The economic impact of a settlement goods ban would likely be limited, as such products make up only a small fraction of the roughly $8 billion in annual trade between Britain and Israel, the report said. Its political significance, however, could be considerably greater, with analysts saying the British move could encourage other European governments to adopt broader measures.
