LONDON: Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has once again called on the British government to ban imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Such a move could help preserve the prospects of a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, she added.
Thornberry stressed that she did not support a blanket ban on all Israeli goods but believed targeting settlement products could serve as a deterrent to settlement expansions and the displacement of Palestinians. She also argued that British money should not contribute to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory.
On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband criticized Israel over a tender for new settlement construction in the West Bank, describing it as an “unacceptable act” that would undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
The UK government currently does not ban trade with Israeli settlements, although it strongly advises British businesses against involvement with economic and financial activity within them. In addition, goods produced in settlements are not eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the UK’s trade agreements with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The call by Thornberry comes amid growing pressure on the government from Labour members of parliament to go beyond the existing guidance. More than 130 of the party’s lawmakers, including chairs of select committees, backed calls in June for a complete ban on trade with Israeli settlements.
UK rules require settlement-produced goods to be specifically labeled as such so that consumers are not misled about their origin. The government has said it is considering further measures related to trade in goods and services with settlements.
This is not the first time Thornberry has called for a ban on imports from illegal settlements. She argued in June that they should be blocked, citing a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice over the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
