Twelve countries including Britain, Canada and France today said they will impose sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, following an alleged increase in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages in the occupied territory. Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden also plan to limit trade with the settlements.
Foreign Ministers of twelve countries in a joint statement said, the government of Israel’s actions in the West Bank are undermining the possibility of a two-state solution, referring to a plan under which two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian, would live peacefully side by side.
The ministers said the 12 countries plan to impose national and support European trade restrictions on goods from settlements that are illegal under international law. They said some countries are also considering other measures, in line with their national laws and procedures.
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband speaking in the Parliament today accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to what he called ethnic cleansing by settlers in the West Bank. He said, the UK government would introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories, in a move coordinated with other countries.
