UK maintains West Bank settler sanctions amid calls for business ban

The UK government will continue sanctioning Israeli settler extremists while stopping short of prohibiting British business ties with settlements, Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer told Parliament in a written reply on 17 February.

Asked whether the government would take steps to prohibit UK nationals, companies and financial institutions from conducting business with illegal settlements, Falconer said Britain ‘supports accurate labelling of settlement goods’ and advised businesses ‘to bear in mind the UK Government’s view on the illegality of settlements under international law.’

The UK considers ‘Israeli settlements illegal under international law and goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from tariff and trade preferences,’ Falconer said, noting Britain had already sanctioned ‘three illegal settler outposts and four organisations’ in October.

‘Sanctions remain part of our broader political strategy and are designed to effect change, to pressurise, and send a clear signal regarding behaviours,’ he added in response to separate questions about Trump’s reversal of Biden-era West Bank sanctions on Israeli settlers.

The stance comes after Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office rescinding the February 2024 sanctions authorisation targeting persons threatening stability in the West Bank.

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