A Labour lawmaker tells Al Jazeera sanctions would uphold British morals and legal obligations.
London, United Kingdom – UK Prime Minister and Labour leader Andy Burnham is expected to soon approve a ban on goods linked to Israeli settlements after the Israeli government issued tenders to build more than 1,200 units for a settlement in the occupied West Bank called E1.
“Sanctions on Israel’s illegal settlements would be a very welcome first step in helping to bring an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation,” Labour lawmaker Richard Burgon told Al Jazeera on Thursday. “The International Court of Justice has been clear that all states have obligations to bring that unlawful situation to an end. These sanctions would be an important move towards meeting our moral as well as our legal obligations.”
The E1 settlement project would ultimately create a continuous Israeli settlement “corridor” between occupied East Jerusalem and the large settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, 7km (4.5 miles) east of Jerusalem. Settlements and outposts on occupied land are illegal under international law.
“The UK government has long-declared E1 to be a red line, and Israel’s total disregard for that red line appears to be what’s motivating these possible actions,” Sarah Sanbar, acting Israel-Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera.
On August 19, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband issued a news release on behalf of the UK government condemning the expansion.
“This Israeli Government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act,” the release read, noting that Miliband had summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires to express opposition to the settlements. “In the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies, protect the viability of the Palestinian state, target sanctions at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion and support a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Last week, Bloomberg News reported that Burnham’s government was “drafting fresh sanctions”.
“We do not comment on speculation,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement to Al Jazeera. “The Foreign Secretary has been clear that illegal settlements threaten the viability of a Palestinian state and undermine security for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
“[Human Rights Watch] welcomes any steps the UK takes towards banning trade with illegal settlements,” Sanbar told Al Jazeera. “We have long been calling on the UK to do more than just condemn. It’s only through concrete action by demonstrating that violations of international law are going to be met with consequences, not just words, that we can expect behaviour to actually change.”
Critics of a ban, most notably the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), said sanctions could trigger economic blowback for Britons, Palestinians and Israelis or prove to be flat-out impossible.
The LFI’s most recent report noted that Israel’s settlement expansion “weakens the viability of a future Palestinian state and does nothing to enhance Israel’s security”.
Still, the report goes on to condemn sanctions that go “beyond violent extremist settlers and organisations”, noting that such measures would be “impossible” to implement.
For experts, it is unclear where this impossibility lies.
“That’s not true, and that’s not a good enough excuse for the UK to not uphold its obligations under international law,” Sanbar said.
