UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Announces Sanctions on Israeli Settlements

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a series of sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, framing the decision within his personal Jewish heritage and the historical context of the Holocaust. Addressing the House of Commons, Miliband, who identified himself as a "proud British Jew," recounted that his grandfather and 60 other family members were murdered by the Nazis. He also shared personal connections to Israel, including visits in the 1970s to his grandmother in Tel Aviv and cousins on a kibbutz, affirming Israel's right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people.

Miliband condemned the October 7 Hamas massacre and reiterated Israel's right to self-defense, while also designating Iran as a threat to Israel and global Jewish communities, pledging continued security cooperation between the UK and Israel. The UK will also sanction Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial institution linked to Hezbollah, reimpose economic sanctions on Iran, and support UN Security Council action regarding Iran's nuclear violations.

Despite emphasizing his commitment to Israel, Miliband sharply criticized the UK government's policy regarding Gaza and the West Bank. The new sanctions will ban imports from Israeli settlements and prohibit advertisements for real estate located within them. Companies and individuals involved in financing, construction, or infrastructure development of these settlements will also face sanctions. These measures are expected to take effect within six to nine months and will not apply to products from within Israel's pre-1967 borders, with the aim of preserving trade with the country. Miliband stated the UK opposes the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

However, Miliband asserted that Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank threatens the two-state solution, and London now considers this "occupation" illegal. Regarding Gaza, he suggested that evidence increasingly points to possible war crimes, though he refrained from labeling the events genocide pending judicial decisions. The Foreign Secretary also addressed rising antisemitism in the UK, calling it a "scourge," and announced an additional 250 million pounds for the security of Jewish communities. London will host a J7 meeting in October to combat online hate, and Miliband stressed the importance of not holding British Jews responsible for Israeli government actions, deeming such conflation antisemitic.