LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Britain had to "stand for something", Prime Minister Andy Burnham told parliament on Wednesday in a defence of his government's decision to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Burnham, who has been in the job since July, said Britain had long endorsed the two-state solution in the Middle East, but words needed to be backed by action.
"Leadership is about taking action where there is injustice, where we need to correct unfairness, people being driven out of their homes," he said.
"In this difficult and dangerous world, Britain has to stand for something."
The import ban, announced on Tuesday by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband alongside measures targeting settlement-linked companies and individuals, marked one of Britain's most significant policy shifts toward Israel in years. It came as part of a coordinated push with France and Canada to pressure Israel over settlement expansion that the countries say threatens the two-state solution.
