UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has overturned decades of Foreign Office inertia on illegal Israeli settlements by imposing sanctions and condemning 'ethnic cleansing'. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Miliband said he refused to be a bystander to further suffering and the destruction of the two-state solution. He was supported by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Historical context
UK Foreign Office ministers have for decades issued boilerplate statements of concern about the expansion of illegal settlements in Israel, which has been a matter of ridicule. Even some Conservative ministers, notably Alan Duncan and Alistair Burt, agreed that the stance was weak and naive. Margaret Thatcher also expressed anger at the settlements.
Despite the UK's commitment to a two-state solution at the UN since 1946, little practical policy was produced to prevent the spread of illegal settlements. The UK-Israel trade agreement prevented preferential tariffs on goods from territories occupied after June 1967. The business department advised companies not to trade with settlements, but many ignored this or relabeled goods as Israeli.
Miliband's new approach
Miliband inherited this unhappy moral and legal mess. He felt the UK could not feign powerlessness. His Jewish heritage – his mother Marion Kozak, a Holocaust survivor who fled to Israel – put him in a strong position to act as Israel's critical friend.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee this week accused the Labour government of Jew-hatred, but Miliband dismissed this. He argued that the best route to Israel's security lies in Palestinian self-determination and full implementation of the two-state solution. 'Holding Jewish people responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism, plain and simple,' he said.
Historic decisions
Miliband became the first UK foreign secretary to describe events in the West Bank as 'ethnic cleansing'. He also ended a two-year delay in responding to the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion of June 2024 that the occupation is unlawful. He accepted the ICJ opinion, which arguably places stronger obligations on the UK not to assist the occupation. The trade ban now extends to services such as insurance for illegal settlements.
International impact
Miliband's biggest diplomatic achievement was securing France and Canada's agreement to impose similar trade bans. France led last year on recognition of Palestine; this year the UK leads on following through on the consequences. Paris was persuaded to stop waiting for EU collective action, given likely opposition from Germany and indifference in parts of the European Commission.
Miliband left it to international courts to determine whether a genocide occurred in Gaza, which might take at least five years. He noted mounting evidence of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, but said it was for the courts to decide.