Britain on Tuesday announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in coordination with France and Canada, the latest sanctions to target Israel as it faces growing diplomatic isolation, Reuters reports.
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said Britain could no longer simply "call out" injustice and suffering, but told the House of Commons that the country now had to "act" to oppose the expansion of settlements.
"Today we refuse to be bystanders to further suffering and to the destruction of the two-state solution," Miliband said, referring to Britain's long-held support for the two-state idea, which Israel opposes.
The US, through its ambassador to Israel, has already criticized Britain's new sanctions, while two Israeli ministers called for measures to be taken against Britain.
Miliband, who became Britain's foreign minister in July, also said Britain's position is that the occupation in the West Bank is unlawful, and that London believes that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank.
The impact on the £6 billion ($8.12 billion) of annual bilateral trade is likely to be minimal, with details unclear on how the UK will differentiate between goods originating in West Bank settlements and products made in Israel.
