Britain, France, and Canada on Tuesday announced measures to ban imports of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The three nations said that this aims to support the two-state solution amidst growing international concern over settlement expansion, Reuters reported.
The move comes part of a series of measures against Israel’s settlement policy, and follows as ten other countries have joined a joint statement affirming their commitment to protecting the two-state solution and pursuing a just and lasting peace through negotiations.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that his country could no longer simply condemn what he described as injustice and suffering, emphasizing the need to take action against settlement expansion—a practice he views as a threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand affirmed that settlements in the West Bank undermine efforts to achieve a long-lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
And France said that the acceleration of settlement expansion and escalating violence in the West Bank forced it to take this step.
Backlash from Israel and the US
These measures drew criticism from Israel and the US.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
These moves coincided with Israel’s announcement of plans to build 1,000 new housing units in the West Bank, amidst growing international concern regarding the “E1” settlement project near Jerusalem—a project viewed one of the most significant threats to the territorial contiguity of Palestinian lands.
Although settlement exports account for only a small fraction of Israel’s total trade, the bans carry political and diplomatic significance, forming part of broader efforts to press for the preservation of the two-state solution.
