Eleven European countries and Canada impose sanctions on Israel over products from settlements in the West Bank

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband speaks at the House of Commons in London on September 8, 2026. HOUSE OF COMMONS/DOCUMENT REMIS VIA REUTERS VIA REUTERS A milestone was reached in relations between Israel and its European allies on Tuesday, September 8, with the joint announcement by the United Kingdom, France and nine European countries (Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden), as well as Canada, of sanctions against products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The implementation of these measures, which still needs to be defined by each country, resulted from the inability of the 27 member states of the European Union to agree on a joint action. Nonetheless, the announcement is significant. It signals a shift toward sanctioning all settlements – not just a handful of violent actors and organizations – while rejecting the gradual normalization on which Israel had long relied. The new British government, now taking the lead, set the tone by openly breaking with the positions of previous administrations. "Ethnic cleansing," "war crimes," "violations" of "international humanitarian law," "settler terrorists": The notably harsh language of Foreign Minister Ed Miliband – who highlighted his Jewish identity and personal ties to Israel (his grandmother settled there after his grandfather died in a Nazi camp) – foreshadows a period of heightened tensions with Israel. You have 83.83% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.