Britain, France and Canada have announced plans to restrict imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in a move that marks a significant escalation in their response to Israel’s settlement policies and rising violence against Palestinians.
The three countries announced the measures on Tuesday, prompting an angry reaction from Israel, which immediately unveiled retaliatory steps targeting Britain.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, told parliament that the government had concluded that Palestinians were facing “ethnic cleansing” in parts of the West Bank, which he attributed to attacks by extremist settlers.
“The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank – perpetrated by settler terrorists,” Miliband said.
He accused the Israeli government of failing to take sufficient action against settler violence, alleging that some members of the government had made statements and taken actions supporting the forced displacement of Palestinians.
London, Paris and Ottawa joined nine other European countries in a joint declaration backing restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements.
The other signatories were Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
The countries said the “unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion” in the West Bank were undermining prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel responded within hours by announcing a series of measures against Britain.
The Israeli government ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem and imposed travel restrictions on 12 British nationals, including lawmakers from the governing Labour Party.
Israel also said it would expel British diplomats working at a centre monitoring the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan and prevent Britain from providing training to Palestinian Authority security forces.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the British government’s statements, describing Miliband’s accusations as “outrageous lies.”
The Israeli government has strongly defended its settlement policy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue expanding settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law by most of the international community.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank export a range of agricultural products, including dates, grapes, avocados, citrus fruits, vegetables and herbs. Other products include wine, Dead Sea cosmetics and industrial goods.
The British government said trade between the UK and the occupied Palestinian territories was valued at about £38 million ($51 million) in 2025.
Ireland and Spain have previously introduced measures targeting trade with Israeli settlements, while France has pushed for similar action at the European Union level.
However, efforts to secure broader EU restrictions have faced opposition from some member states.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France would “end trade” with settlements in the occupied territories.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said Washington would not support the latest measures, arguing that the United States did not want to destabilise the West Bank.
The latest measures come amid continued international criticism of Israel’s settlement expansion and military operations in the Palestinian territories.
Particular concern has been raised over Israel’s E1 settlement plan, which was approved after remaining frozen for decades. The plan includes about 1,200 housing units and could further separate Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem from other parts of the West Bank.
Miliband also announced that Britain would take action against specific companies and individuals involved in providing construction, infrastructure, financing and real-estate services linked to settlement expansion.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank, alongside an estimated three million Palestinians.
The West Bank has also experienced increased violence since the outbreak of the Gaza war following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, at least 1,105 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
The latest moves by Britain, France and Canada are likely to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel and further deepen divisions among Western governments over the country’s settlement policy and conduct of the conflict.
