Britain is expected to announce a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday. A settlement, in this context, is a community built by Israeli citizens in occupied Palestinian territory that Palestinians claim for a future state. The announcement would mark an early test of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's willingness to diverge from Washington on one of the world's most contested territorial disputes.
The measures are expected to include an embargo on goods and some services linked to West Bank settlements. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is set to make the formal announcement. Miliband has already pledged what he called a "comprehensive reset" of Britain's policy toward Israeli settlements and last week identified the E1 project east of Jerusalem as a longstanding "red line," signaling that action was coming in response to Israeli settlement expansion.
Inside the Burnham-Trump phone call
Burnham spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Monday, the day before the expected announcement. A No. 10 Downing Street readout said the two leaders discussed the Middle East, with Burnham stressing the importance of a two-state solution. That term refers to an arrangement in which an independent Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip exists alongside Israel. The readout made no mention of the planned restrictions.
Bloomberg reported that the timing of the call suggested Burnham may have briefed Trump on the measures, though the official account did not confirm this. The U.S. State Department told The Times it was "tracking the plans closely." The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel, and Bloomberg described the sanctions as a potential early point of friction between London and Washington.
Reaction from Israel and the United States
The planned measures drew sharp condemnation before they were formally announced. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Monday for the expulsion of the British ambassador, writing on X that Israel would not be a "doormat" for Britain. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, writing in Spanish on X, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in retaliation, accusing Britain of having "violently" taken the territory that Argentina calls the Malvinas. The Times of Israel reported Ben-Gvir's remarks.
In the United States, Representative Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida, warned on X that the measures could implicate Florida's anti-boycott law and potentially bar affected British companies from contracting with Florida's state and local governments.
Burnham has joined the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in condemning Israel's E1 settlement expansion, arguing the project threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Miliband is expected to make the formal announcement Tuesday.