UK plans ‘robust’ settlement sanctions as Labour warns against full Israel boycott

Some 140 Labour members of Parliament, about one-third of the party’s House of Commons delegation.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to impose new British trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, as opponents within his Labour Party warn the measures could prove impossible to enforce without affecting businesses throughout Israel, The Times reported Wednesday.

The planned sanctions are part of a broader push within Labour for tougher measures against settlements. Some 140 Labour members of Parliament, about one-third of the party’s House of Commons delegation, have signed a letter urging Burnham to take stronger action.

Labour Friends of Israel has challenged the proposed trade restrictions, arguing that determining whether products originate in the territories rather than elsewhere in Israel would create significant practical problems.

The group said it backs “calibrated steps against extremist settlers” but warned that the proposed policy could become a de facto boycott of Israel.

Such a ban “would be deeply damaging to the UK national interest, the British Jewish community and Palestinian workers,” the group said.

Government officials have raised similar concerns, The Times reported, warning of a “significant risk that ‘legitimate’ Israeli businesses would be hit by the ban, and it risked undermining trade with Israel more broadly.” Palestinian businesses in the territories could also be affected.

Israel sends $2 billion in goods to the UK annually. The planned sanctions are not expected to cover services.

Burnham is also considering sanctions against individual leaders of the settlement movement. He is expected to announce “robust” measures before Labour’s annual conference in September, where the issue is due to be debated, The Times reported.

The plans follow Israel’s approval of expanded construction in the E1 area northeast of Jerusalem. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband joined other European governments last week in condemning the decision, saying development there “would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution.”

Spain and the Netherlands have already adopted measures against settlement trade. A Dutch prohibition on importing, buying or selling settlement goods takes effect September 22, with violations potentially punishable by up to six years in prison.

Israel subsequently ordered the expulsion of Dutch representatives from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat.