UK expected to announce trade restrictions on West Bank settlements

Britain is preparing what ministers describe as a major reset in its relationship with Israel, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expected to announce restrictions on goods made in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The measures could initially target agricultural products, but Labour MPs briefed on the plans believe they may cover both goods and services linked to the settlements. The BBC has not seen the full details. Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly told Labour MPs that Miliband would make the statement in the House of Commons and said he had briefed international leaders by phone.

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The statement will be a complete reset of the nature of our Israel-Palestine relationship. It will all feel very different.

Burnham spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday and stressed the importance of a two-state solution. The official account released by Downing Street did not say whether Burnham briefed Trump on the proposed restrictions, and the United States had not commented. Israel has previously warned that it would retaliate against new British measures.

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It is not just about sanctions. We hope that this will finally achieve what those of us who have been working towards for two years over the Middle East have been working on.

One British minister told the BBC that the statement would change the nature of the country’s Israel-Palestine relationship. “The statement will be a complete reset of the nature of our Israel-Palestine relationship. It will all feel very different,” the minister said. The minister added that the policy was not only about sanctions and expressed hope it would advance work pursued over two years on the Middle East.

The government is expected to frame the measures as part of a broader policy shift, even though ministers reportedly acknowledge that banning a relatively small quantity of mostly agricultural products would be largely symbolic. Stephen Doughty, now the Middle East minister, previously argued that existing powers did not go far enough because they could target settlement-linked activity only when evidence connected it to settler violence. The expected announcement follows Israeli tenders for about 1,200 settlement homes in the strategically important E1 area east of Jerusalem, plans that have drawn widespread international condemnation.

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At the moment, we can sanction where there is evidence of it being linked to settler violence, but not, for example, in relation to a contractor working on the settlements. We need to expand our sanctions powers.