Israel has ordered the closure of Britain's consulate in East Jerusalem after the United Kingdom, France, Canada and nine other countries announced plans to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The measures mark a sharp new deterioration in relations between Israel and some of its closest Western partners, amid escalating settler violence and renewed international concern that settlement expansion is undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament on Tuesday that the UK would impose an import ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. He also announced targeted action against companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate linked to settlement expansion.
Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a "blind eye" to what he described as "ethnic cleansing" carried out by settlers in parts of the West Bank. He said settler violence had included homes being demolished, roads and public infrastructure being destroyed, and families being forced from their homes.
"I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets," Miliband told lawmakers. He added that those who finance or facilitate settlement expansion would "face the full force of UK sanctions."
