UK set to sanction Israeli settlements in the West Bank in major reset of relations

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The United Kingdom is expected to unveil sanctions targeting Israel on Tuesday over the massive expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking a significant “reset” of the UK’s relations with the country.

Previewing the expected measures, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the sanctions were an effort to prevent the destruction of the two-state solution.

The decision marks a significant clash between Israel and what had been one of its top Western allies and comes amid mounting international criticism over Israel’s policies in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has surged in areas the international community views as part of a future Palestinian state.

Sanctions on settlement products will likely have little impact on the approximately $8 billion in annual trade between the two countries, only a tiny fraction of which comes from the West Bank. The top UK export to Israel is medicinal and pharmaceutical products, according to its Department for Business and Trade, while the top imports are fruits and vegetables.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said sanctions would be a “serious error in judgment and choosing the wrong side of history.” At an event marking three decades of relations with the European Union on research and innovation, Herzog said, “Sanctions are not a solution. Dialogue is.”

The UK sanctions could also trigger a response from the Trump administration. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who has defended Israeli settlements in the West Bank, told BBC News on Tuesday, “I think without a doubt there will be (a reaction),” warning it could have a “huge impact on British businesses.”

The sanctions come amid Israel’s push to advance the internationally-condemned E1 settlement project, which critics say divides the West Bank into north and south, making a contiguous Palestinian state virtually impossible.

It also splits East Jerusalem – the envisioned capital of a Palestinian state – from the rest of the territory. In late-August, Israel’s Housing Ministry invited bids for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units in E1. The plan aims to create a continuous bloc of Jewish settlements from East Jerusalem to the West Bank.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has explicitly championed the expansion of settlement as a way to “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state. “The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” Smotrich said when E1 received its final approval.

Last year, the UK and others sanctioned Smotrich and far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir for “repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians.”

Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war. Both are considered occupied territories under international law, and Israeli settlements there are widely regarded as illegal.

Miliband condemned the plan earlier this month, calling it an “unacceptable and destructive act” and one that crosses a “red line.” He demanded its “immediate reversal” summoning the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires in London in August.

“The impact of settler violence and terrorism has been catastrophic for Palestinian communities,” Miliband said. The expansion of settlements, he warned, “threaten(s) peace, security and the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.”

In May, the UK was one of several European countries who warned international companies against participating in the construction of E1 because of legal and reputational risks and consequences. The statement, which also had the backing of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, said the situation in the West Bank has “deteriorated significantly” as settler violence has reached “unprecedented levels.”

“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution,” he said, referring to a peace plan that calls for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Miliband told British lawmakers on Monday that he would be setting out a “comprehensive set of measure in the coming weeks.”

Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu/Getty Images

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told local media that his government would retaliate against Britian if sanctions were imposed.

“If Britain acts against the State of Israel, the State of Israel will act against Britain. We have the tools,” he told Ynet News. “The period is over when people act against the State of Israel and the State of Israel doesn’t respond.”

Israel gave final approval for the E1 plan last year, greenlighting more than 3,400 housing units.

“Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea,” he added.

The E1 plan has been accelerated under Netanyahu’s hardline government, which has made settlement expansion a priority. While most Israeli settlements are state-run projects, many settler groups have also established dozens of unauthorized outposts in recent years – often through violence and physical force – that eventual secure Israeli government approvals.

Human rights and monitoring groups, including Amnesty International, have said that Netanyahu’s government turns a blind eye to violence, calling it part of a broader ecosystem of “state-supported settler violence.”

John Wessels/法新社/盖蒂图片社

英国预计将于周二公布针对以色列的制裁措施，原因是以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡领导的政府在被占领的西岸地区大规模扩建定居点，这标志着英国与以色列关系的重大“重置”。

英国外交大臣埃德·米利班德在预告即将采取的措施时表示，这些制裁是为了防止两国方案遭到破坏。

这一决定标志着以色列与其曾经最重要的西方盟友之一之间发生了重大冲突，与此同时，国际社会对以色列在西岸的政策批评日益增多，在国际社会视为未来巴勒斯坦国一部分的地区，定居者对巴勒斯坦人的暴力事件激增。

对定居点产品的制裁可能不会对两国每年约80亿美元的贸易额产生太大影响，而其中只有极小一部分来自西岸地区。据英国商业和贸易部的数据，英国对以色列的最大出口产品是药品和医药产品，而最大的进口产品是水果和蔬菜。

以色列总统伊萨克·赫尔佐格表示，制裁将是“判断上的严重错误，也是站在历史错误的一边”。在纪念以色列与欧盟在研发创新领域建立三十年合作关系的活动上，赫尔佐格说：“制裁不是解决办法，对话才是。”

英国的制裁也可能​​引发特朗普政府的回应。曾为以色列在西岸定居点辩护的美国大使迈克·赫卡比周二告诉BBC新闻，“我认为毫无疑问会有（回应），”并警告说这可能会对英国企业造成“巨大影响”。

在以色列大力推进国际社会谴责的E1定居点项目之际，这些制裁措施出台了。批评人士称，该项目将西岸一分为南北两部分，使建立一个连贯的巴勒斯坦国几乎成为不可能。

该计划还将东耶路撒冷——巴勒斯坦建国设想中的首都——与以色列其他地区分割开来。8月下旬，以色列住房部就E1区1200多套住房的建设项目发出招标邀请。该计划旨在从东耶路撒冷到西岸，打造一片连绵不断的犹太人定居点。

以色列极右翼财政部长贝扎莱尔·斯莫特里奇曾公开支持扩大定居点建设，以此“埋葬”巴勒斯坦建国的理念。斯莫特里奇在E1项目获得最终批准时表示：“巴勒斯坦建国不是靠口号，而是靠行动，就从历史舞台上消失了。”

去年，英国和其他国家对斯莫特里奇和极右翼国家安全部长伊塔马尔·本-格维尔实施了制裁，理由是他们“屡次煽动针对巴勒斯坦人的暴力行为”。

以色列在1967年的战争中占领了东耶路撒冷和西岸。根据国际法，这两个地区都被视为被占领土，以色列在那里的定居点也被普遍认为是非法的。

米利班德本月早些时候谴责了这项计划，称其为“不可接受的破坏性行为”，并表示此举越过了“红​​线”。他要求“立即撤销”该计划，并于8月召见了以色列驻伦敦临时代办。

米利班德说：“定居者暴力和恐怖主义对巴勒斯坦社区造成了灾难性的影响。”他警告说，定居点的扩张“威胁着和平、安全以及建立一个可行的巴勒斯坦国的前景”。

今年5月，英国与其他几个欧洲国家一道，警告国际公司不要参与E1高速公路的建设，因为存在法律和声誉风险及后果。这份声明也得到了加拿大、澳大利亚和新西兰的支持。声明指出，西岸局势“显著恶化”，定居者暴力事件已达到“前所未有的程度”。

“英国不会袖手旁观，任由两国方案遭到破坏，”他说道，这里指的是一项呼吁建立一个与以色列并存的独立巴勒斯坦国的和平计划。

米利班德周一告诉英国议员，他将在未来几周内公布“一套全面的措施”。

内达尔·埃什塔亚/阿纳多卢/盖蒂图片社

上周，以色列外交部长吉迪恩·萨尔告诉当地媒体，如果英国实施制裁，以色列政府将进行报复。

“如果英国对以色列采取行动，以色列也将对英国采取行动。我们有办法，”他告诉Ynet新闻网。“过去那种对以色列采取行动而以色列不予回应的时代已经结束了。”

以色列去年最终批准了 E1 计划，批准建造 3400 多套住房。

“每一个定居点、每一个社区、每一套住房都是对这种危险想法的又一次打击，”他补充道。

在内塔尼亚胡强硬派政府的领导下，E1计划的推进速度加快，定居点扩张已成为该政府的优先事项。虽然大多数以色列定居点都是国家主导的项目，但近年来，许多定居者团体也建立了数十个未经授权的前哨站——通常通过暴力和武力手段——最终获得了以色列政府的批准。

包括国际特赦组织在内的人权和监督组织表示，内塔尼亚胡政府对暴力视而不见，称其是“国家支持的定居者暴力”这一更广泛的生态系统的一部分。