The Palestinian presidency welcomed Britain’s decision to impose trade sanctions on Israeli settlements, including a ban on imports of products from settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and sanctions against extremist settlers.
The presidency welcomed British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s announcement before the House of Commons, describing the decision as an important step toward confronting Israel’s settlement system and violations against the Palestinian people.
It praised what it described as Britain’s advanced position, which it said reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land and the need for practical and concrete measures to hold those responsible for settlement-related crimes and settler violence accountable.
The presidency said the ban on settlement products, along with other measures announced by the British government, was a step in the right direction and consistent with international law and international legitimacy resolutions. It added that the measures send a clear message that the international community will not accept the continued expansion of settlements, land seizures or the displacement of Palestinians.
It stressed the importance of accompanying these measures with additional binding international steps to halt settlement expansion, end settler violence and hold perpetrators accountable, including sanctions against officials responsible for such crimes.
The presidency also welcomed the British foreign secretary’s reaffirmation of the United Kingdom’s commitment to the two-state solution and to preserving the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state.
It said halting settlement expansion and ending the Israeli occupation are essential conditions for achieving peace and stability in the region.
The presidency called on European countries and all friendly nations to follow Britain’s lead by taking similar practical measures to halt trade and economic dealings with settlements and their products, and by imposing sanctions on settlers involved in violence against Palestinians.
It said such steps should ultimately lead to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The presidency affirmed that the State of Palestine would continue working with Britain and other countries around the world to protect Palestinian rights, implement international legitimacy resolutions and international law, end the occupation and settlement activity, and establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Husam Zomlot said Britain’s decision represented a turning point in Palestinian-British relations.
In a post on X, Zomlot said Britain had moved “from recognition to action, and from condemnation to accountability.”
Source: WAFA
