The UK government has announced plans to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a move designed to prevent the two-state solution from becoming impossible. The decision, which has drawn criticism from the United States, Israel, and some British MPs, was confirmed by Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, who said the action targets the policies of the current Israeli government rather than the Israeli people or the bilateral relationship between London and Jerusalem.
McFadden said the ban was intended to stop the two-state solution being rendered impossible by changes to the facts on the ground. He explained that the danger has become more urgent because of expanded settlement activity in recent weeks and months. The minister stressed that Israel remains an important security ally and trading partner for the UK, and that the move is not intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods. He also strongly rejected claims by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, that the UK government was guilty of what Huckabee described as «Jew hate».
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that Britain will be «on the wrong side of history» if it goes ahead with the plans. In a statement delivered on camera, Herzog said the expected announcement of British trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria would prove to be a grave miscalculation. He warned that other nations may follow the UK's lead, and said the decision would fall on the wrong side of history.
The UK government's statement is part of a broader reassertion of support for Palestinian rights and a two-state solution. McFadden said that at the heart of the statement is the idea that the UK, along with many other countries, does not want to see the possibility of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine being erased. He emphasised the distinction between action announced in response to policies of the current Israeli government and the links between Israel and the UK, which he described as important and valuable and which will continue to be so.
Asked about Huckabee's comment, McFadden said he fundamentally rejects it. He said the Jewish community in the UK is a really important part of society, and that he wants Jewish people in the UK to be able to live their lives freely in education, in work, in worship, and in all aspects of their lives. He added that he and every government minister would condemn any attacks on the Jewish community in the UK.
The announcement has also drawn criticism from some British MPs, who have expressed concerns about the potential impact on UK-Israel relations. The move comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, which is considered illegal under international law. The UK government has said the ban is a targeted measure aimed at preserving the viability of a two-state solution, which it continues to view as the only realistic path to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.