In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers

Image caption, Dates are among the agricultural products commonly exported from Israeli settlements in the West BankByYolande KnellMiddle East correspondentJuicy brown and ripening yellow dates dangle down from the branches of each palm tree at Israeli settler farms in the Jordan Valley, in the occupied West Bank.This year, as Israeli growers get ready for a good harvest, they are also preparing for the impact of new Western sanctions against settlements, which are illegal under international law.The UK government has announced an import ban on settlement goods and said it planned to take action against companies and individuals who provide services for settlement expansion, as part of what it calls a "comprehensive reset" of policy towards Israel following similar moves by several other European countries.Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have also confirmed their intention to introduce national restrictions, or support European restrictions, on trade in goods with settlements.Palestinians strongly back such a move, but Israel's president says it is a "grave miscalculation".Israeli date farmer Avigdor Arbel, from the set...