The key facts

  • Miliband urged against participating in the E1 tenders and recalled the new powers to impose sanctions on settlement builders
  • The government is preparing a law banning imports of goods from illegal settlements
  • London condemned attacks on diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, a representative of the Catholic Church and an American journalist

Sanctions Warning

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Monday warned companies and individuals about the dangers of participating in tenders for construction projects linked to Israeli settlements in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank of the Jordan River. “I call on businesses and individuals not to submit bids for the E1 construction tenders,” he said in an official statement.

New Powers and Legislative Plans

According to Miliband, participation in the project could entail legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of complicity in serious violations of international law. “We have created new powers allowing sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities involved in the construction of illegal settlements, such as E1,” the minister emphasized. He also said the government intends to adopt legislation banning imports of goods from illegal settlements and to take measures against services that finance them or facilitate them.

Condemnation of Violence in the West Bank

The British government condemned the escalation of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, including recent attacks on representatives of the authorities of France, Belgium and Poland, a representative of the Catholic Church and an American journalist. “We will not be bystanders to the destruction of the two-state solution,” Miliband said, adding that Britons do not want to support the construction of illegal settlements.