British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband delivered a forceful speech in Parliament, announcing sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and sharply criticizing Israel’s settlement policies. Britain’s measures were followed by a joint statement from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, backing or considering restrictions on trade with settlements. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the sanctions as “antisemitic” and “morally distorted,” while announcing countermeasures including closure of the UK consulate in Jerusalem serving Palestinians. The confrontation marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Israel and Britain over settlements and Palestinian rights.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. With permission, I would like to make a statement on Israel and Palestine.
00:06I do so as a proud British Jew, someone with the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel for giving
00:11a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members at the hands
00:18of the Nazis.
00:19I remember visiting her in the 1970s in Tel Aviv and seeing the life and sanctuary Israel had provided.
00:26Indeed, some of my most joyful childhood memories were picking oranges as a kid on the kibbutz where my cousins
00:32lived.
00:33Madam Deputy Speaker, my personal story, and that of thousands of British Jews, is one of the many reasons why
00:40I say to anyone here or around the world who questions Israel's right to exist as a homeland for the
00:46Jewish people,
00:46you are wrong and we will call you out whenever you engage in this attempt at the erasure of Israel.
00:56Madam Deputy Speaker, I know what the trauma of Hamas' terrorist atrocity of October 7th meant and still means to
01:01people across Israel and to Jews across the world.
01:04It was a murderous act by a murderous terrorist organisation designed to massacre and instill fear across a whole population.
01:13October 7th makes plain the grave threats that Israel faces, and it has every right to defend itself.
01:20We should not only condemn those threats, but act against those who carry them out.
01:25Iran continues to threaten Israel and Jews across the world.
01:29We have already designated Iran's IRGC, and we will do more today on Iran's proxy groups.
01:35So today I can also announce we are sanctioning Lebanese Hezbollah's financing arm, Al-Qaad Al-Hassan.
01:43Iran must never have a nuclear weapon, so we are also acting this week to report Iran to the UN
01:49Security Council for its nuclear violations alongside our allies.
01:52And I can announce today that we are also reimposing major economic sanctions on Iran in line with the European
02:00Union and the United States.
02:03Madam Deputy Speaker, tackling these threats is just one of the important shared national security interests we have with Israel,
02:11on which we will continue to cooperate.
02:13I know too that so many members of the Jewish community now live in fear in the face of rising
02:18anti-Semitism, including here in the UK.
02:21Last week we commemorated the anniversary of the Heaton Park attack.
02:25Jews murdered at their place of worship simply for their religion.
02:29An outrage that was followed by anti-Semitic attacks in Golders Green, including on the Hutzola ambulances.
02:35And the everyday life of Jews in Britain is deeply affected by the climate such hate creates.
02:41When I went to school in the 1980s, I did so without fear.
02:45Today we need to face the truth.
02:47That is not the case for thousands of Jewish children across the UK.
02:51Children who have to go to school with security guards outside their school.
02:55Madam Deputy Speaker, no child should have to go to school facing this.
03:00And no teacher should face anti-Semitism either.
03:04Whether it happens in our schools, universities or workplaces or online or on our streets, anti-Semitism is a scourge
03:10and an evil.
03:11We are rightly putting in place an additional investment of £250 million for community security, but we all have a
03:18responsibility to do more.
03:20As part of this, I will in October host representatives of the J7, the countries with the largest Jewish populations
03:25from across the world.
03:27We will meet in the UK to discuss the different ways we can work across borders to tackle anti-Semitism,
03:32including tackling online hate.
03:36So, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the State of Israel.
03:41And there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the State of Palestine.
03:47Indeed, quite the opposite.
03:49The two-state solution is based on an explicit belief that the only route to security for both peoples is
03:55to live side by side in peaceful coexistence with freedom, security and self-determination.
04:01Securing the two-state solution in its fullest form is the North Star of this government's policy and indeed of
04:06successive British governments over decades.
04:08And it is precisely this belief in the rights and freedoms of the Israeli and Palestinian people that leads many,
04:14including me, to a deep sense of shame about what has unfolded in Palestine under the eyes of the international
04:20community.
04:22In Gaza, the most unimaginable trauma and suffering in the last three years, death, destruction and dehumanisation on an appalling
04:30scale, a stain on the conscience of the world and of this country too.
04:35And in the West Bank, the clear attempt to, in the words of Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich, and I quote,
04:42bury the idea of a Palestinian state.
05:16But the Prime Minister is right to say that the Labour government has not done enough in the face of
05:22what is happening.
05:23So today marks the beginning of a new approach, an approach that not only calls out injustice and suffering, but
05:30acts.
05:31And in taking this stance, I make a very clear distinction, which is crucial for us all in this debate.
05:38Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the UK has unshakable bonds.
05:45Our argument is with the conduct of its government.
05:48And I also want to say emphatically to people in Britain and indeed across the world, holding British Jews responsible
05:56for the actions of the Israeli government is anti-Semitism, plain and simple.
06:02What we seek today is to salvage the only cause for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, the two
06:10-state solution.
06:11Let me start with the situation in the West Bank.
06:14Mr. Speaker, Madam Deputy Speaker, at the time of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, around 270,000 settlers lived
06:22in the occupied Palestinian territories.
06:25Today, it is some 770,000.
06:28More settlements have been approved under the four years of this Israeli government than in the previous 20 years.
06:36Let us spell out what this has meant for Palestinian communities.
06:39Houses bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed, families displaced from their homes,
06:45community by community, family by family, person by person.
06:52Madam Deputy Speaker, 65 Palestinian communities completely expelled since 2023, a total of over 4,000 Palestinians evicted from their
07:05homes due to settler violence and state actions.
07:09And in August, the crossing of a long-standing red line, the issuing of E1 tenders for over 1,200
07:15homes.
07:16Madam Deputy Speaker, I visited a community in the area covered by E1 in 2014.
07:21The Bedouin communities I met in Khan al-Amar had lived on that land for generations.
07:28E1 proposals would evict them and place settlements directly between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, cutting through the heart
07:38of Palestine.
07:40Let's be absolutely clear what this means.
07:42The creation of a set of facts on the ground to make the two-state solution unviable.
07:47And on top of official state policy, settler terrorism is rampant.
07:54The UN reports an average of six violent settler attacks against Palestinians per day this year.
08:00Per day, the highest on record.
08:04Take one example.
08:05For example, in Al-Mugayir, 20 miles north of Jerusalem, settlers have encircled the village and mounted a campaign of
08:14intimidation, largely under the protection of the Israeli military.
08:19Families in the village are increasingly cut off from accessing their land, squeezed into ever-smaller areas, and have olive
08:28trees uprooted and livestock stolen.
08:31In the same community just last week, two teenagers were shot when settlers entered the village under police and military
08:40escort.
08:41Both died before reaching hospital.
08:45Madam Deputy Speaker, five teenagers have now been killed from their school this year.
08:53Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli Prime Minister, has described what is happening as, I quote,
08:58a violent and criminal effort to ethnically cleanse territories in the West Bank.
09:03The former Minister of Health and retired Brigadier General from the IDF, Efraim Sneij, has said, and I quote again,
09:11this is ethnic cleansing, pure, to put it simply.
09:17Madam Deputy Speaker, ethnic cleansing is defined by the UN as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious
09:24group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means
09:27the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.
09:33The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler
09:40terrorists.
09:41And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have
09:47made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.
09:52Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, I recognise the gravity of saying this, but the truth is, it is the least the
10:01people who face such suffering deserve, and it should be the prelude to justice.
10:07Now, for a long time, the British government has rightly said settlements are illegal, but we have remained silent on
10:13the question of the legality of the occupation as a whole,
10:16which in 2024 the International Court of Justice concluded was unlawful.
10:21Today I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful.
10:28Because of Israel's entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements.
10:38Madam Deputy Speaker, our position is not just an overdue statement of reality.
10:42The government believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationships we choose to have with
10:49the occupied territories.
10:51I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops
10:59and supermarkets.
11:00So I can announce today that we will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied
11:05territories.
11:07To do so, we will introduce a new comprehensive sanctions regime, working with my right honourable friend, the Business Secretary,
11:13with appropriate religious exemptions.
11:15And as part of this regime, we will go further.
11:17We will take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services, such as construction, infrastructure, financing, or real estate,
11:26for settlement expansion.
11:28So to those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this.
11:33You will face the full force of UK sanctions.
11:38Settlements are illegal.
11:39They should not be promoted in our country.
11:42Earlier this year, Madam Deputy Speaker, shamefully, just a few miles from here,
11:47we saw an expo advertising illegal settlement land.
11:50We must and we will ensure this never happens again.
11:54So we will ban the advertising in the UK of illegal settlements.
12:00The sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel.
12:06We will continue to support important and valued trade with Green Line Israel,
12:10precisely because we support the two-state solution, including security and prosperity for Israel.
12:16For this reason, I wholeheartedly oppose the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS campaign.
12:23The legislation I have announced today will be in place within six to nine months,
12:26and we will also take more immediate steps.
12:28Today, we are sanctioning a further set of extremist settlers who have supported or incited acts of violence
12:34against Palestinian communities.
12:35And I can also announce that we are extending the existing global human rights regime
12:40such that it will enable swifter action to deter settlement expansion,
12:45including, crucially, seeking to prevent the development of E1.
12:49I also want to address the question of arms sales.
12:52We have already suspended over 30 arms licenses used by the IDF in Gaza.
12:56That suspension remains fully in place.
12:58We will now also refuse all licensed applications for arms and other exports
13:02that materially contribute to the occupation.
13:05In effect, a double lock against arms sales.
13:08This means the ban on such exports will now remain in place as long as the occupation persists.
13:16Madam Deputy Speaker, to advance the two-state solution,
13:18we also need viable and effective Palestinian governance.
13:21So I urge the Palestinian Authority to accelerate reform,
13:24and I urge Israel to lift its withholding of revenues
13:27that is, frankly, financially crippling the provision of essential services in the West Bank.
13:32The set of measures I have announced represents a clear message
13:35to the government of Israel, to the Palestinians in the occupied territories,
13:38and to the world,
13:39that we will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution.
13:45I turn now to Gaza.
13:47The horror of October the 7th appalled the world
13:49and had terrible echoes of the centuries of persecution of the Jewish people.
13:55Men, women, children and babies killed,
13:59mutilated and tortured by Hamas terrorists.
14:03People murdered while seeking to protect their families.
14:07Young people massacred at a music festival.
14:10People abducted from their homes.
14:13As the 20-point peace plan for Gaza sets out,
14:16this is one of many reasons Hamas can play no role in the future governance of Gaza.
14:21It must decommission its weapons and must dismantle its terrorist infrastructure.
14:27Israel has the right not to live in fear of vile terrorism,
14:30and the Israeli state has the right to protect its people and defend its territory.
14:35But, Madam Deputy Speaker,
14:37that cannot justify what has happened in Gaza.
14:39Over 70,000 people have been killed,
14:42at least 20,000 of them children.
14:4520,000 children.
14:48The vast majority of the population is now displaced.
14:52Nearly 2 million people,
14:54who are now penned into just one-third of the territory.
14:57Life-saving humanitarian aid and access has been routinely blocked.
15:01Hospitals and clinics have been destroyed.
15:03Over 60% of homes are in ruins.
15:06Madam Deputy Speaker,
15:08international humanitarian law imposes clear rules for states fighting wars,
15:13including to ensure access to food and medical supplies,
15:16to avoid mass displacement of civilians,
15:19and to avoid the targeting of civilians.
15:21Serious and international violations of this law if proven amount to war crimes.
15:26What has occurred, including the actions of the IDF,
15:29have been examined in depth by a number of organisations,
15:32including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry.
15:35The conclusions of these reports represent increasing evidence
15:40that war crimes appear to have been committed.
15:43And we support legal processes to determine this.
15:46On the question of genocide,
15:49the UK has always supported full, robust and fair judicial processes
15:53to consider allegations,
15:54with final determinations made by competent courts
15:57before the British government reaches a conclusion.
15:59This has been the case for all of the genocides
16:02since the 1948 Genocide Convention.
16:05Rwanda, Srebrenica, Cambodia,
16:07and acts against the Yezidi people.
16:09That will remain our policy.
16:11It is right this issue has been brought before the ICJ,
16:15and I want to make it clear
16:16that we support the court in coming to its determination.
16:22So accountability for what's happened in Gaza matters,
16:24but even more urgent,
16:26is action to address the ongoing crisis.
16:27Because today in Gaza, the death and suffering continue.
16:31Nearly a year ago, Madam Deputy Speaker,
16:33a ceasefire was declared.
16:35Yet over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since.
16:38And the people of Gaza are experiencing
16:40a totally avoidable humanitarian catastrophe,
16:43I'm afraid driven by decisions of the Israeli government.
16:47Last week, I talked to courageous doctors
16:49and humanitarian aid workers who have served in Gaza.
16:53It was a heartbreaking conversation.
16:56They recounted children dying, waiting for medical treatment,
17:01people forced to live next to open sewage and without shelter,
17:05and food insecurity rampant.
17:08I'm sure the whole House agrees this is unconscionable.
17:11So I pledge we will continue to do everything we can
17:15to provide all the humanitarian support possible
17:17to help the people of Gaza.
17:20UK-supported hospitals in Gaza will enable
17:22around 800,000 medical consultations this year
17:24and essential health services for patients.
17:29UK expertise will deliver care to over 1,000 child amputees.
17:33And we recently welcomed another wave of students from Gaza
17:36coming to study in Britain, and we will welcome more.
17:39But in truth, unless Israel changes course,
17:42the situation will remain dire.
17:44So we're taking further steps, both ourselves and with others.
17:47Our extension of the global human rights sanctioned regime
17:50will enable us to target those responsible
17:53for violations of international humanitarian law,
17:56whether in Gaza or anywhere else in the world.
18:00And we will at the UN General Assembly in New York
18:02later this month shine the clearest and harshest spotlight
18:06on what is happening and what must change.
18:07With Jordan, we will convene countries across the world
18:10to lead a call for action on health and humanitarian access.
18:14We will also lend the UK's voice to the growing global alliance
18:17of countries led by Arab partners in the region,
18:19calling for the full implementation of the US-led 20-point plan,
18:23the rejection of extremism,
18:25and a lasting end to the cycles of violence.
18:27And as we implement the policy measures I have announced today,
18:30we will continue to assess the government of Israel
18:32by its actions, we want to see a new approach
18:35in both Gaza and the West Bank.
18:38Madam Deputy Speaker, today we refuse to be bystanders
18:41to further suffering and to the destruction
18:44of the two-state solution.
18:45We call out what is unlawful.
18:47We act on the import of goods from illegal settlements.
18:50We ban advertising of illegal settlements.
18:52We act on services to prevent new settlement expansion.
18:55We act on settler violence.
18:57We support accountability for what has happened in Gaza.
18:59And we pledge to galvanise the international community
19:02to confront the ongoing and urgent humanitarian crisis.
19:07Above all, we say,
19:09Britain is not silent in the face of deep injustice
19:12and nor is it powerless.
19:15And today we act in concert with others
19:17in a broad international coalition.
19:19I can tell the House that today France and Canada
19:22are announcing alongside Britain
19:24that they will also ban the import of goods
19:26from illegal settlements.
19:28Joining the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway
19:31which have either banned goods
19:32or are in the process of doing so.
19:33With many other countries,
19:35Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden
19:37pledging today they will support further action.
19:40Madam Deputy Speaker,
19:42this is what Britain can achieve leading with others.
19:45And this is in our fundamental national interest
19:48because if there is one lesson of recent decades
19:50it's that we will never have stability
19:52in the Middle East without a two-state solution.
19:54And it is also the case that if we fail to stand up
19:57for the values that this country has long held and fought for
20:00we lose credibility and influence in the world.
20:03Madam Deputy Speaker,
20:04my parents came here as Jewish refugees
20:07and found sanctuary
20:08and a country that stood up for the rule of law,
20:11freedom and self-determination.
20:14Those are the values this government is standing up for today.
20:17And I truly believe that the vast majority of the British people
20:20including in our communities with ties to the region
20:23are united in their desire
20:24to see humanitarian suffering end
20:27and all sides commit to a durable peace process.
20:29And just as we want
20:31Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side
20:34so, Madam Deputy Speaker,
20:35we have to live out those values in Britain.
20:38Jews in Britain, Muslims in Britain,
20:40people of all faiths and none
20:41have a right to live without prejudice or fear.
20:44Madam Deputy Speaker,
20:46a Britain that upholds its values
20:48at home and around the world,
20:49a Britain that fights against oppression and suffering
20:52wherever it occurs,
20:53a Britain that stands up for what is right
20:55and I commend this statement to the House.
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