EUROPE 🔗 Part of: Global Economic Trends (32) · 09 Sep 2026 · 05:32 GMT ·2 min read

Twelve Nations Announce Trade Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Amid Diplomatic Fallout

Twelve nations, including France, the UK, and Canada, banned imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank on September 8, 2026.

NEUTRALITY 78 · BALANCED· 5 sources

RFI English

Twelve nations, including France, the UK, and Canada, banned imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank on September 8, 2026. This follows an EU-wide sanctions package from May 2026 targeting settler violence. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on September 8, 2026, that the UK will target firms financing settlement expansion. Implementation will take six to nine months. Israel closed the British consulate in Jerusalem and denied entry to 12 British MPs and nationals. The US government said it will not join the sanctions.

Context

The European Union has sanctioned 136 individuals and 41 entities since 2020 under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime for involvement in settlement activities. In May 2026, EU foreign ministers approved a broader package targeting settler organizations linked to violence in the West Bank.

Supportive perspectives

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The authority stated that these measures hold the settlement program accountable for its activities.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese described the UK government's condemnation of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as a significant change in its official position.
The European Union sanctioned 136 individuals and 41 entities under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime in 2026.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the UK will target companies and individuals providing construction, infrastructure, financing, or real estate services for settlement expansion.

Critical perspectives

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Israel will close the British consulate in Jerusalem. The government will also deny entry to 12 British members of Parliament and nationals, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott. This decision follows the imposition of sanctions.
Israel is ending British training for Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank. It also terminated UK participation in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza. Israel took these actions in retaliation for recent sanctions.
UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis criticized the government's trade sanctions, describing them as gesture politics and a dark day for British Jews.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat warned that UK sanctions on Israeli settlements could risk sectarian division and an increase in antisemitic violence within the UK.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will not join UK-led trade sanctions against Israeli settlements. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested that the United States could retaliate against the United Kingdom.