According to the British newspaper The Guardian, on the 8th local time, British Foreign Secretary Miliband said that Israeli ‘terrorists’ are carrying out ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and the Israeli government has tolerated and supported this behavior. He announced that Britain, along with France and Canada, will impose a series of sanctions on trade related to Israeli settlements.
According to reports, in the strongest condemnation issued by the British government so far, Miliband stated that the British government will now officially declare that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is completely illegal. Previously, the UK had only described Israeli settlements as illegal.
It is reported that the measures taken by the UK will include: banning the import of goods from unauthorised settlements in the occupied territories, prohibiting the issuance of weapons permits, and imposing sanctions on key individuals accused of promoting violent actions by settlers.
Miliband said that these actions will demonstrate that “Britain will not remain silent in the face of serious injustices, and it is not powerless.” He took these actions both as a Foreign Secretary and as a “proud British Jew”.
Milliband in a profile photo. Visual China.
Milliband said, “I am proud of my Jewish identity, and I firmly support the State of Israel. There is no contradiction between this and my support for the State of Palestine. In fact, it’s the opposite. The two-state solution is based on a clear belief: the only way for the two peoples to live in safety is by living side by side in peace, enjoying freedom, security, and the right to self-determination.”
Meli Band also said that he felt “deep shame” for “what happened in Palestine under international scrutiny.”
He emphasized that these actions mark a new approach taken by the UK on the Palestinian-Israeli issue – not just condemnation, but actual action. ‘We are targeting not the Israeli people. There are unbreakable bonds between the UK and the Israeli people. We are targeting the actions of the Israeli government.’
On the 8th, France and Canada also announced bans on importing settlement goods, joining the ranks of the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, and Norway. These countries have either already banned these goods or are in the process of implementing such bans.
The United States and Israel both threaten to take retaliatory action against British sanctions measures.
Israeli President Ehrlich said that Britain's actions before Israel's October elections constituted "serious interference with the democratic elections of a sovereign state."
Miliband took up the position of Foreign Secretary in July this year. According to the British news website 'Middle East Eye', Miliband completely broke with the established script of British foreign policy, presenting himself as a politician with 'rare moral sense and a humanitarian stance'.
Reports say that “if Prime Ministers Barnett and Miliband continue to push forward and implement these sanctions measures, they will stand up against the United States and Israel, and declare to the world that Britain has finally achieved the foundation for an independent foreign policy.”
However, some argue that Britain's measures are more about 'restoring Britain's moral image in the Middle East', rather than fundamentally changing the structural basis of relations between Britain and the Middle East.
