00:0111 European countries and Canada jointly announced on Tuesday that they plan to ban imports from
00:07Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, following increasing attacks by settlers against
00:12Palestinians and the uncurbed expansion of illegal settlements. The statement was signed by Canada,
00:19the UK, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
00:26Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the import ban and other measures in Parliament.
00:31The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West
00:36Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists. And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind
00:42eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced
00:48displacement of Palestinians. So I can announce today that we will introduce an import ban on goods from
00:53illegal settlements in the occupied territories. To do so, we'll introduce a new comprehensive
00:59sanctions regime, working with my right honourable friend, the business secretary, with appropriate
01:03religious exemptions. Israel responded furiously, ordering the closure of Britain's consulate in
01:09Jerusalem and banning 12 British nationals from visiting the country, including lawmakers from
01:14the governing Labour Party. It comes after the Israeli government last month opened up tenders for
01:20the construction of around 1,200 housing units in the West Bank, drawing widespread condemnation from
01:26the international community and human rights groups. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
01:32vowed to continue establishing the settlements, which are illegal under international law.
