Britain plans to ban trade with Israel's illegal settlements
The United Kingdom is working to impose restrictions on imports and exports from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
This was announced by British Minister for Trade Chris Bryant. According to him, the government is considering appropriate measures as part of its foreign trade policy.
Bryant stated that the UK will ban shipments to these settlements as well as exports from them. Previously, the government had said it was considering all options but had not dared to officially endorse a ban.
The minister emphasized that there are “very strong” moral and legal arguments in favor of such a ban.
“We are working on exactly how this will work,” he noted.
The challenge, according to Bryant, lies in establishing an effective ban, and the timeline for its implementation depends on which laws will be applied.
Another obstacle, the minister noted, is the difficulty in determining and tracking the origin of goods. He said that goods from the settlements are “often” labeled as Israeli products, even though “they obviously actually come from the settlement territories.”
He made these remarks to members of the Business and Trade Committee on Wednesday, July 15, according to Sky News.
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