Twelve countries, including Britain, Canada and France, have said they would slap sanctions on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, after increasing attacks by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages in the occupied territory.
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden also plan to limit trade with the settlements, the nations' foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
Ireland and Spain have already taken measures against trade with Israeli settlements, and France has for weeks been pushing for a similar decision from the European Union, Israel's leading trading partner, but has been blocked by some members.
"The government of Israel's actions in the West Bank are undermining the possibility of a two-state solution," the 12 ministers said, referring to a plan under which two states - one Israeli and one Palestinian - would live peacefully side by side.
"The situation is rapidly deteriorating amid unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion," they warned.
"The government of Israel must immediately halt the expansion of settlements and civilian administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence, and investigate allegations against Israeli forces," the ministers added.
‘Ethnic cleansing’
The ministers said the 12 countries "confirm their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures."
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a "blind eye" to what he called "ethnic cleansing" by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Today's measures "represent a clear message" to both the Israeli government and Palestinians that "we will not acquiesce in destruction of the two-state solution," he said in a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons.
On top of Israel's official state policy, "settler terrorism is rampant," he noted, adding that the UK will sanction a further set of extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank "who have supported or incited acts of violence" against Palestinians.
Miliband stressed that those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements in the West Bank "will face the full force of UK sanctions."
He went on to say that the UK will take action against "specific companies and individuals" who provide services and financing for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.
Miliband said the British government agrees that there is "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" in the occupied West Bank perpetrated by Israeli "settler terrorists."
During his address, he also confirmed that the existing British suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel will remain "fully in place."
