‘Overdue first step’: UK reacts to gov’t ban on Israeli settlement trade

The United Kingdom has announced it will ban imports originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking one of London’s strongest policy moves on Israel-Palestine since it formally recognised a Palestinian state last year.Addressing the UK parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Israel was carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Palestine and reiterated the British government’s position that Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UK, France among 12 states backing sanctions on illegal Israeli settlementslist 2 of 3Shift in British policy on Israel is palpablelist 3 of 3Palestine weekly: Israeli ministers push for depopulation of Gazaend of listMiliband said allowing settlement-made products to be sold in Britain risked contributing to the occupation, arguing that he did not believe the British public wanted such goods on store shelves.The measures come as pogroms by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank intensify and Israel pushes ahead with its contentious expansion of illegal settlements.Miliband said that Cana...