Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is set to announce a broad reset of the United Kingdom's relations with Israel on Tuesday. As part of a more active approach to supporting the Palestinian cause, the British government will impose a trade ban on goods and some services originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The decision follows weeks of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages, a trend that some western governments fear threatens the viability of a two-state solution. Through this move, Miliband aims to reassert the call for a two-state solution while appealing for the protection of Palestinian rights and respect for international law.
Although the UK remains a longtime ally of Israel, it has previously condemned the expansion of settlements, which are widely considered illegal under international law. Officials note that while the product ban may have a limited impact on overall trade between the two nations, these measures go well beyond previous sanctions and underscore Israel's mounting isolation over its policies toward Palestinians following the war in Gaza.
The intervention is expected to draw fierce criticism from both the United States and Israel, and officials warn that the move could prompt retaliation from the Israeli government.