Updated September 8, 2026 at 11:37 AM CDT
LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday, where he said Israeli settler "terrorists" are carrying out "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians.
The measures and strong escalation of rhetoric against the settlers are intended to put pressure on Israel over settlement expansion, which the U.K. says is undermining prospects for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, known as the two-state solution to the conflict.
In a joint statement Canada and France announced similar bans on goods from Israeli settlements, with France also pushing for a European Union-wide ban. They added their names to Ireland, Spain, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have already taken steps to restrict trade in settlement goods, or are in the process of doing so.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Miliband said, "Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakeable bonds, our argument is with the conduct of its government."
"The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists," Miliband told members of Parliament. He said there had been "houses bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed, families displaced from their homes."
Miliband opened his remarks describing himself as "a proud British Jew, someone with the deepest gratitude to the state of Israel for giving a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis."
The move comes a year after the United Kingdom joined a number of other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood in order to restart efforts toward the two-state solution.
"One year ago, we recognised the State of Palestine. The time has come to take further action to uphold our commitment to protect the two-state solution, our interests and to stand up for our values, before it is too late," British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a joint statement later Tuesday.
"Settlements are illegal under international law. The UK, France and Canada will therefore take steps to ban the importation of goods from settlements and enforce targeted measures against settlements and those who facilitate them or profit from them," the statement said.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to President Trump on Monday ahead of Tuesday's statement. In a readout of the call, the British government said Burnham stressed the U.K.'s commitment to peace and security in the region, as well as the importance of the two-state solution.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as he embarked on a Latin America tour, said on Tuesday that neither he or President Trump were commenting on the U.K.'s move at this time. "We were made aware that they were going to make this decision. We heard their arguments as to why," Rubio said. "But, look, we share the goal of stability. We don't want to see some uptick in violence or an uptick in conflict or tensions in the West Bank, at a very tenuous time in the region."
Earlier, in an interview with the BBC's Radio 4, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the U.K. move "irrational."
The new trade bans are expected to take effect in six to nine months. The government said it will target goods originating specifically from settlements, rather than imposing a wider ban on Israeli products. Miliband said he opposes the international movement for a boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel.
Products made in the settlements include fruits such as dates, vegetables and wine.
Opponents including Britain's opposition Conservative Party warned the move could isolate Israel. Turning Israel into a "pariah" would risk a "further rise in antisemitic violence on our own streets," said the Conservatives' shadow foreign secretary, Tom Tugendhat.
The move marks a significant deterioration in U.K.-Israel relations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Miliband's statement "outrageous lies" and said Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem in response to the U.K.'s policies. He said Israel would bar a dozen British nationals including Labour Party lawmakers from entering Israel, and work to shut down British training of Palestinian Authority forces.
Sa'ar called the British policies "gross interference in the electoral process" in the midst of Israel's campaigns for elections in October.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the measures from the U.K. and the other governments that signed the joint statement.
Last year, the U.K. recognized Palestinian statehood in an attempt to restart efforts toward the two-state solution.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the U.K., Husam Zomlot, hailed the British government's further steps. He said in an online video address that the U.K. "announced a reset of policy, affirming the illegality of Israel's occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory," which he said marks "a turning point in U.K.-Palestine relations."
This is a developing story, which may be updated.
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