West Bank · 08 September, 2026 · 3 min read
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband To Announce Trade Ban On Israeli West Bank Settlements Goods
Britain will ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move is coordinated with France and Canada and backed by twelve Western countries.
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Trade ban on settlements
The United Kingdom is expected to announce trade restrictions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expected to present measures to Parliament on Tuesday, according to British media reports.
“Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to present measures against the expansion of settlements to Parliament on Tuesday”
Al Jazeera reported that Pensions Minister Pat McFadden said, "The reason that danger has become more urgent is because of expanded settlement activity in recent weeks and months," as Israel opened bidding for 1,234 housing units in its E1 project in August.
Al Jazeera also said Palestinians have warned that advancing the E1 plans would lead to confining Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to "disconnected enclaves surrounded by settlements".
The same Al Jazeera coverage said the move follows weeks of escalating settler pogroms on Palestinian villages, with Netanyahu and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, drawing rare criticism in the context of the violence.
In parallel, Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed said Britain intends to announce a trade ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing it as part of efforts to support a two-state solution and recalibrate relations with Israel.
Israeli and US backlash
Israel’s response to the anticipated UK measures included warnings of countermeasures and criticism of the policy as discriminatory, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog warning of sanctions on settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed quoted Herzog saying, "If that happens, and other countries join these sanctions, I think it would be a miscalculation and a decision that puts them on the wrong side of history."
Al Jazeera reported that U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee rejected the ban and said it would be an "irrational action," adding, "It’s discrimination against the Israeli government".
Al Jazeera also said Huckabee told BBC Radio, "It’s discrimination against the Jewish people and I don’t understand the rationale of it," while noting he had previously expressed support for settlements.
In the same Al Jazeera account, the coverage said more than 500,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is home to some three million Palestinians.
Two-state solution stakes
The UK’s planned trade restrictions are framed by British officials as support for a two-state solution, with Miliband warning that projects such as E1 threaten the viability of that outcome.
“"This government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution."”
Al Jazeera said Miliband told the House of Commons he would set out measures to prevent the UK’s involvement in projects such as the E1 settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory, and it quoted him saying, "This government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution."
Al Jazeera also reported that Agha, a policy analyst with the British Palestinian Committee, said, "We’re seeing more of a continuation versus a rupture," while describing the move as the "bare minimum" and questioning whether sanctions would have "meaningful impact" on how the occupation operates and profits off colonisation.
Al-Monitor reported that Miliband told the House of Commons Britain could no longer simply "call out" injustice and suffering, but had to "act" to oppose the expansion of settlements.
Al-Monitor added that Miliband said Britain’s position is that the occupation in the West Bank is unlawful and that London believes there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, as it described Israeli ministers reacting angrily to the move.