Miliband announces sanctions over West Bank ‘ethnic cleansing’

The United Kingdom has announced new measures against Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, including a planned ban on imports from illegal settlements.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the decision was being taken in response to what he described as growing settler violence and the forced displacement of Palestinians.

In a video statement, Miliband described the situation in Palestine as a “moral emergency”. He also said there was increasing evidence of war crimes in Gaza.

Miliband accused the Israeli government of failing to take sufficient action against extremist settlers. He said some Israeli officials had also made statements or taken actions that enabled the displacement of Palestinians.

Speaking in Parliament, the foreign secretary confirmed that Britain would introduce an import ban on goods produced in illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

The UK said the move would be coordinated with other countries. The government also plans to target companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion.

The proposed measures will cover businesses and people providing construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate services linked to settlement activity.

According to Miliband, the new measures are expected to come into effect within six to nine months.

Britain will also impose sanctions on another group of extremist settlers. The individuals targeted are accused of supporting or encouraging violence against Palestinian communities.

Miliband said the British government had reached the conclusion that Palestinians were facing ethnic cleansing in parts of the West Bank carried out by violent settlers.

He also reaffirmed Britain’s support for a two-state solution, saying it remained central to the government’s approach to the conflict.

Miliband stressed that the measures were not directed against Israel as a state. He said he remained firmly supportive of Israel and was proud of his Jewish heritage.

He argued that supporting Israel and supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state were not contradictory positions.

The announcement comes as international criticism of Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continues to grow.