Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and six other Muslim countries have welcomed the UK government’s decision to ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and restrict services linked to them.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, September 9, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkiye said they hoped the UK measures would encourage other countries to take similar steps in line with international law.
They also called for settlement organisations and individuals involved in illegal settlement activities to be held accountable.
The ministers welcomed a separate joint statement on the two-state solution issued by Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
The countries expressed their intention to introduce national measures and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods from settlements considered illegal under international law. Some also said they were actively considering additional measures through their respective national procedures.
The eight ministers urged the international community to build on these steps and adopt concrete measures to end activities that support or sustain Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
They said the measures were consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in 2016, and the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of 19 July 2024.
They reiterated their call for Israel to rescind measures linked to settlement activity and other actions aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
The ministers also stressed that Gaza was an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and called for the full and immediate implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
They said implementation of the plan should help ensure security and stability, address humanitarian needs, facilitate reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.
The ministers said a two-state solution was the only viable path towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. They called for an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state based on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
UK imposes trade restrictions on West Bank settlements
The UK announced the measures on Tuesday, September 8, saying the ban would cover all goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the restrictions would also apply to selected services connected to the settlements, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising.
Miliband said the action came amid escalating settler violence against Palestinians, which he described as “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” carried out by “settler terrorists”.
Israel announces retaliatory measures
Israel announced a series of retaliatory measures against the UK following the British decision.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel would close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which serves Palestinians.
Other measures included removing UK representatives from an international Gaza support centre and ending British activities to train Palestinian Authority security forces.
The Israeli response came against a backdrop of increased violence in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Palestinian towns and villages have faced attacks by Israeli settlers and military raids, affecting residents and property.
Settlement expansion has also continued during this period. Palestinian authorities have warned that the growth of settlements and ongoing violence could pave the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank, further undermining prospects for an independent Palestinian state.
The conflict also has roots in the mass displacement of Palestinians during the establishment of Israel in 1948. Palestinians refer to the events as the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, during which Palestinian sources estimate that at least 750,000 people were displaced from their homes.
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