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U.K. accuses Israeli settlers of 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank and bans their goods
+818 words added -463 words removed
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says is undermining prospects for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, known as the two-state solution to the conflict.
In a joint statement Canada and France announced similar bans on goods from Israeli settlements, with France also pushing for a European Union-wide ban. They added their names to Ireland, Spain, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have already taken steps to restrict trade in settlement goods, or are in the process of doing so.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Miliband said, "Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakeable bonds, our argument is with the conduct of its government."
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Ed Miliband arrives in the British government building on Downing Street to attend a weekly Cabinet meeting in London on Tuesday. Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images hide caption
"The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists," Miliband told members of Parliament.
The government said it will target goods originating specifically from settlements, rather than imposing a wider ban on Israeli products.
Opponents including Britain's opposition Conservative Party warned the move could isolate Israel.
The move marks a significant deterioration in U.K.-Israel relations.
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− accuses Israeli settlers of 'ethnic cleansing,' bans trade Britain announces a ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, prompting warnings of US repercussions and an angry response from Israel.
+ accuses Israeli settlers of 'ethnic cleansing,' bans trade France, Canada and other countries joined the U.K.
+ in banning goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel said it would close the British Consulate among other measures.
− accuses Israeli settlers of 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank and bans their goods Updated September 8, 202610:48 AM ET Originally published September 8, 20269:05 AM ET Lauren Frayer
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, backdropped by the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem (right), is seen in the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on Aug.
+ accuses Israeli settlers of 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank and bans their goods Updated September 8, 202611:15 AM ET Originally published September 8, 20269:05 AM ET Lauren Frayer
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, backdropped by the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem (right), is seen in the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on Aug.
− Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday. He called Israeli settlers "terrorists" and accused them of carrying out "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians, in a strong escalation of British rhetoric.
+ Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday, where he said Israeli settler "terrorists" are carrying out "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians.
− The measures are intended to put pressure on Israel over settlement expansion, which the U.K.
+ The measures and strong escalation of rhetoric are intended to put pressure on Israel over settlement expansion, which the U.K.
−
+
− He said there had been "houses bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed, families displaced from their homes."
Miliband opened his remarks describing himself as "a proud British Jew, someone with the deepest gratitude to the state of Israel for giving a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis."
The U.S.
+ He said there had been "houses bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed, families displaced from their homes."
Miliband opened his remarks describing himself as "a proud British Jew, someone with the deepest gratitude to the state of Israel for giving a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis."
The move comes a year after the United Kingdom joined a number of other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood in order to restart efforts toward the two-state solution.
"One year ago, we recognised the State of Palestine.
− ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, warned of possible repercussions for British businesses in the U.S., while describing the U.K.'s move as "irrational."
"I don't understand what it's supposed to achieve," Huckabee told the BBC Radio 4's Today show.
+ The time has come to take further action to uphold our commitment to protect the two-state solution, our interests and to stand up for our values, before it is too late," British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a joint statement later Tuesday.
"Settlements are illegal under international law.
− "If the U.K.
+ The UK, France and Canada will therefore take steps to ban the importation of goods from settlements and enforce targeted measures against settlements and those who facilitate them or profit from them," the statement said.
State of the World from NPR The souring relationship between Trump and Netanyahu British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to President Trump on Monday ahead of Tuesday's statement.
− is really interested in dealing with issues they feel like are wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China, Russia?"
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to President Trump on Monday ahead of today's statement. In a readout of the call, the British government said Burnham stressed the U.K.'s commitment to peace and security in the region, as well as the importance of a two-state solution.
+ In a readout of the call, the British government said Burnham stressed the U.K.'s commitment to peace and security in the region, as well as the importance of the two-state solution.
− The measures announced on Tuesday are understood to be limited but symbolically significant, and will note take effect immediately.
+ U.S.
+ Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as he embarked on a Latin America tour, said on Tuesday that neither he or President Trump were commenting on the U.K.'s move at this time. "We were made aware that they were going to make this decision. We heard their arguments as to why," Rubio said. "But, look, we share the goal of stability. We don't want to see some uptick in violence or an uptick in conflict or tensions in the West Bank, at a very tenuous time in the region."
Earlier, in an interview with the BBC's Radio 4, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the U.K. move "irrational."
The new trade bans are expected to take effect in six to nine months.
− Miliband said he opposes the movement for broad boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel.
+ Miliband said he opposes the international movement for a boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel.
+ Products made in the settlements include fruits such as dates, vegetables and wine.
− Turning Israel into a "pariah" will risk a "further rise in antisemitic violence on our own streets," said the Conservatives' shadow foreign secretary, Tom Tugendhat.
+ Turning Israel into a "pariah" would risk a "further rise in antisemitic violence on our own streets," said the Conservatives' shadow foreign secretary, Tom Tugendhat.
− Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has threatened consequences, while far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the British ambassador to Israel to be expelled.
+ Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Miliband's statement "outrageous lies" and said Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem in response to the U.K.'s policies. He said Israel also would expel U.K. representatives from a joint military center that monitors the Gaza ceasefire, shut down British training of Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank and bar a dozen British citizens including lawmakers from entering Israel.
− Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem," accusing it of operating "openly on behalf of the Palestinian Authority."
This is a developing story, which may be updated.
+ One of the Britons Israel will bar from entry, member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn, said in a statement that he has "visited all parts of Palestine on several occasions, where I have witnessed the horrors of occupation," and "will keep speaking up for peace, freedom and justice for the Palestinian people."
Sa'ar went on to call the British policies "a gross interference in the electoral process" in the midst of Israel's campaigns for elections in October.
− NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.
+ Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the measures from the U.K.
+ and the other governments that signed the joint statement.
Middle East conflict U.K., Canada and Australia recognize a Palestinian state, despite U.S. opposition The Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the U.K., Husam Zomlot, said in an online video address that the U.K. "announced a reset of policy, affirming the illegality of Israel's occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory," which he said marks "a turning point in U.K.-Palestine relations."
NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.