Britain is set to announce wide-ranging economic restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as soon as Tuesday, according to seven officials briefed on the measures, in what experts say would be a significant censure of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
The measures are expected to include a trade ban on goods produced in the settlements, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Three of the officials said the measures could also include sanctions on companies helping to build settlements.
Israel has become increasingly isolated on the world stage in the aftermath of the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, and international attention has focused on Israel’s tightening grip over the West Bank.
The sanctions come at a time when Israel has been repeatedly attacking Palestinians, on occasion assailing homes with little intervention by Israeli forces.
Some analysts say Britain’s move could foreshadow decisions by other European countries to impose harder-hitting and broader sanctions.
While the details are still unclear, a British product ban would likely have a limited impact on the $8 billion in annual trade between the countries, given that goods made in Israeli settlements are only a small fraction of that amount. But the measures go well beyond previous British sanctions related to the West Bank, which targeted some extremist Israeli settlers and two far-right ministers.
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