British Foreign Secretary Edward Mulligan will announce a complete reset of Britain’s relations with Israel on Tuesday, promising that the Labour government will support the Palestinian cause in a more proactive manner. This move is expected to draw severe criticism and retaliation from the United States and Israel.
According to a statement made by Miliband to the House of Commons, he will announce that Britain is banning trade in goods and certain services with illegal Israeli settlements. At the same time, he is determined to re-establish Britain's support for the 'two-state solution', calling for the protection of Palestinian rights and respect for international law.
On the eve of Miliband’s statement, a poll conducted by The Guardian showed that British citizens from all political parties supported a ban on trade with Israeli illegal settlements in a ratio of more than 2 to 1. A survey conducted by the European External Relations Committee indicated that only 18% of British adults opposed the ban, while 46% supported it. If those who did not express an opinion were excluded, the support rate rose to nearly three-quarters.
It is reported that Miliband will go further than his predecessor on related issues, clearly placing trade measures targeting settlements under the framework of upholding international law. The UK had previously postponed a trade ban on settlement goods for a long time, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed it was “difficult to implement”. However, now this ban will be in line with the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in 2024, which requires states not to aid or assist Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
The British government has not officially responded to this opinion, but ministers in the former British Prime Minister Sturmer's cabinet stated that Britain has ‘generally complied’ with this requirement.
Although the measures proposed by Miliband may not fully meet all the demands of Palestinian advocacy groups, it is still seen as a move by Britain to go beyond its previous verbal support and take proactive measures to stop the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Internationally, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Helberg accused the British government of being controlled by sentiments of 'hostility towards Jews'. Although the United States has criticized Britain's stance, Washington itself is also pressuring Israel regarding settlement issues, even demanding the demolition of some settlements that were established without permission—even though these outposts have been demolished and quickly rebuilt multiple times.
British sources indicate that even Israeli military officials have warned the prime minister that it will be difficult for the Israel Defense Forces to protect the new settlements and outposts in the northern part of the West Bank. This is because they lack basic security infrastructure, and they were established for political rather than security purposes.
The Guardian states that Israel's settlement project in East Jerusalem has further exacerbated the urgency of Britain's reoccupation policy—this project will effectively divide the West Bank into two parts starting in November. At the same time, violent incidents among settlers on the West Bank continue to increase, and the peace committee led by Trump failed to achieve both 'dearming of Hamas' and 'Israel's withdrawal from Gaza' within six months, which has also motivated Britain to feel the need to take action.
Miliband's actions may have a cascading effect, and there are already signs of this: Yair, the eldest son of Netanyahu, hinted last week that the disputed territory of the Falklands Islands belongs to Argentina, not the United Kingdom. After his comments, Trump also said that Washington might reconsider its traditional stance on the sovereignty issue of the islands.
