UK and French trade bans on illegal Israeli settlements up pressure on EU

The move by France and the UK to impose national bans on trade in goods and some services from illegal Israeli settlements on Tuesday (8 September), as part of a coordinated move involving seven other EU states, will increase the pressure on a divided EU to follow suit. UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced the trade ban to the House of Commons on Tuesday as part of a broader reset of British government policy on the Middle East crisis. That included a reassertion of support for a two-state solution, including a viable Palestinian state, with an appeal for the protection of Palestinian rights and respect for international law. The ban also imposes sanctions on companies involved in construction and financing of illegal settlements. He stated that the UK government now views Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as “unlawful,” citing “Israel’s entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements.” ‘Settler terrorists’ He added that London considers that there is “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.” Miliband also announced sanctions against Hezbollah’s Lebanese financing arm, Al-Qard al-Hassan. In what appears to be a coordinated move, France and Canada also issued declarations of trade bans, while a group of 11 countries, including Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, said that they, too, would impose trade sanctions.