Ed Miliband has overturned decades of Foreign Office inertia on illegal Israeli settlements
Foreign secretary ends UK’s feigned helplessness with sanctions and condemnation of ‘ethnic cleansing’
TL;DR
- Ed Miliband has ended the UK's history of issuing boilerplate statements on illegal Israeli settlements, implementing practical policy changes.
- The UK has introduced sanctions and condemned the situation in the West Bank as ethnic cleansing.
- Miliband accepted the International Court of Justice's opinion that the occupation is unlawful, increasing UK obligations.
- France and Canada have agreed to impose similar trade bans on settlements following UK initiative.
- Miliband distinguished between the actions of the Israeli government and the Jewish people, condemning the equation of the two as antisemitism.
- Despite strong condemnation, some actions like a full arms sales ban and determination of genocide in Gaza remain dependent on international courts or are subject to exemptions.