# UK to announce trade ban with illegal Israeli settlements

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/uk-to-announce-trade-ban-with-illegal-israeli-settlements/
- Published: 2026-09-08T04:27:10+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-08T10:43:40+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-israel-settlements-trade-ban-burnham-miliband-b3046204.html
- Topics: Americas, Middle East, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- UK confirms ban on trade with Israeli West Bank settlements
- Israel and Trump administration criticised the decision sharply
- Poll showed 50% of Britons supported the ban, 16% opposed

## Summary

The UK government has confirmed a ban on trade in goods and some services from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, announced by foreign secretary Ed Miliband in the Commons as part of a broader reset of Britain's relations with Israel in support of Gaza. The move was made in response to Israeli tenders for 1,200 homes under the E1 settlement project, which Miliband called an "unacceptable and destructive act", and follows warnings from Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar that "if Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain."

The announcement drew sharp criticism from Washington, with the Trump administration reportedly preparing a statement condemning the ban, even after Prime Minister Andy Burnham discussed the plans directly with Donald Trump by phone, stressing the UK's commitment to a two-state solution. Tensions had already been running high after the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused the British government of "Jew hate" over Miliband's remarks that vital medicines bound for Gaza were being blocked. A YouGov poll found 50% of Britons backed a trade ban on settlement goods, against 16% opposed, while Miliband framed the measures as necessary to protect the "viability of the Palestinian state" amid rising settler violence in the West Bank.

## Coverage

- [The Independent: UK to announce trade ban with illegal Israeli settlements](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-israel-settlements-trade-ban-burnham-miliband-b3046204.html)
- [BBC World: UK government expected to announce restrictions on trade with West Bank settlements](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4grdjnle22o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.