The UK has announced a ban on all goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The ban applies to products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. Britain will also target companies and individuals that help settlements expand.
In addition, the UK will ban adverts for properties in Israeli settlements.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the measures as a major change in British policy.
Israel strongly rejected the move and announced several countermeasures.
UK targets Israeli settlements in the West Bank
The new measures cover several areas.
First, Britain will ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
It will also impose sanctions on businesses and individuals involved in settlement expansion. This includes those providing construction, infrastructure, finance or real estate services.
In addition, Britain will target settlers who support or encourage violence against Palestinians.
New export licences will also be refused if the goods would materially contribute to the occupation, according to Miliband.
However, the measures do not ban products and services from Israel itself.
UK says settlements are unlawful
Miliband said the British government considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank unlawful.
He also accused the Israeli government of failing to stop violence and intimidation against Palestinians.
Moreover, he said the British government agrees that settler violence in some areas amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Miliband said the sanctions target settlements and settlement expansion rather than Israel as a country.
The UK remains committed to a two-state solution.
Other countries back settlement restrictions
Britain is not acting alone.
Twelve countries issued a joint statement supporting the two-state solution.
They included France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland and Ireland. Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden also joined Britain.
The countries called on Israel to immediately stop settlement expansion.
Some governments also plan national measures or restrictions on settlement trade.
Israel announces countermeasures
Israel strongly criticised the British decision.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced several countermeasures.
Israel will close the British Consulate in Jerusalem. It will also remove UK representatives from the International Gaza Support Center.
In addition, British training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank will end.
Israel also banned 12 British MPs from entering the country.
Saar accused Britain of trying to interfere in Israel’s upcoming election.
Settlement trade is small part of UK-Israel trade
The economic impact of the goods ban may be limited.
Total trade between Britain and Israel reached £6 billion in 2025.
By comparison, around £38 million worth of goods came from the occupied territory that year, according to parliamentary figures cited in the source.
Britain already treats settlement goods differently from products made inside Israel.
The latest move goes further by banning settlement imports altogether.
Palestinian representatives welcome UK move
Palestinian representatives welcomed the decision.
Palestine’s ambassador to Britain, Husam Zomlot, described the measures as overdue. He also called them a turning point in UK-Palestinian relations.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International UK also welcomed the measures.
However, some Palestinian advocates said Britain should go further.
The settlement goods affected by the ban account for less than 1 percent of total UK-Israel trade, according to the source.
Still, the decision marks a clear shift in Britain’s approach to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.