Canada, France, UK to ban imports from Israeli settlements

Canada, France and the United Kingdom on Tuesday announced a joint ban on imported goods from Israeli settlements in what they called a “turning point” in the efforts to reach a two-state solution in the region.

“One year ago, we recognized the State of Palestine,” the nations wrote in a statement . “The time has come to take further action to uphold our commitment to protect the two-state solution, our interests and to stand up for our values, before it is too late.”

The statement from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to press forward with a controversial housing settlement in the E1 area of the West Bank.

The E1 section is a 4.5-square-mile area that lies to the east of Jerusalem. The Israeli government’s planned development on this land has long provoked fierce opposition from around the globe.

The Israeli government’s plan includes seven residential compounds with a total of 1,234 housing units, according to The Times of Israel . A tender published by Israel’s construction and housing ministry gives contractors until Oct. 19 to bid on this project.

“Systematic settlement expansion in the West Bank, including the Government of Israel’s latest decision to progress the E1 settlement, as well as the dramatic increase in settler violence, pose a direct and urgent threat to that vision for peace,” the heads of state wrote in their Tuesday letter.

At the same time, the leaders expressed their commitment to continuing to work with the Israeli government to ensure its sovereignty.

“In taking this coordinated action, we reiterate our desire for a close and productive partnership with Israel, our enduring support for the Israeli people and our unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” they wrote. “We support a safe and secure Israel, living alongside a safe and secure Palestine.”

Several weeks ago, a group of Democratic U.S. senators also called on Netanyahu to reverse the planned E1 housing settlement.

“The United States must remain committed to a two-state solution that delivers lasting peace and security for both the Jewish, democratic State of Israel and for a future Palestinian state,” the Democrats wrote in their statement. “Construction in E1 would take us further away from that goal.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to news of the joint ban on Tuesday, telling reporters the U.S. will “obviously” not participate in this action.

“We were made aware that they were going to make this decision,” Rubio told reporters . “We heard their argument as to why, but look, we share the goal of stability.”

“We don’t want to see some uptick in violence or an uptick in conflict or tensions in the West Bank at a very tenuous time in the region,” he added.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced in a Tuesday floor speech in the House of Commons that the U.K. government will take additional steps to block this settlement’s establishment, including sanctioning companies and individuals that support this construction and refusing arms licenses and other exports that could facilitate this expansion effort.

“Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakable bonds,” Miliband said. “Our argument is with the conduct of its government.”

Israel’s foreign ministry responded to these new sanctions by announcing bans on 11 British lawmakers and a lawyer from entering Israel.

“The accusations made today by the foreign secretary in the British parliament were outrageous lies,” Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign minister, said in video remarks shared by his office on social media.

The list includes members of three of the U.K.’s political parties and attorney Fahad Ansari, who has represented Palestinian militant group Hamas’s political arm in British courts. Ansari said he took the ban as a “badge of honour” in a social media post .

Additionally, Israel announced it will close Britain’s consulate in East Jerusalem, remove British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center and that the U.K. will no longer participate in a U.S.-led mission to Gaza.

“The message to every government that harms us is clear: Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region,” Sa’ar said. “Measures against Israel will not go unanswered.”