UN rapporteur welcomes UK trade ban against illegal Israeli settlers as 'much-needed beginning'

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Tuesday welcomed the UK government's new stance of imposing a trade ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing it as a “much-needed beginning.” “I welcome the stance taken by the UK government on Israel’s occupation and its illegality,” Albanese said in a post on US social media platform X. “A much-needed beginning, even if it does not yet reverse all policies undermining Palestinian self-determination," she said. "May the UK government and people hold firm. The pressure will be fierce." Her remarks came after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the UK would impose a ban on imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, citing the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” Addressing lawmakers in the House of Commons, Miliband said the announcement marked the “beginning of a new approach” toward Israel. He said legislation introducing the import ban would be put in place within six to nine months, alongside more immediate measures. Miliband said the steps were intended to send a “clear message” that Britain would not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution. However, he noted, the sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel itself.