Criticism in Britain over delay in banning trade with Israeli settlements

The British government faces internal criticism over its decision to delay a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank for a period of 6 to 9 months. Green Party MP Ellie Chowns criticized Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, questioning why the wait is necessary amid what she described as genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign also described the decision as late and insufficient.

The British government faces mounting internal criticism over its decision to delay a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank for a period of 6 to 9 months. Green Party MP Ellie Chowns directed her criticism at Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, questioning why the wait is necessary amid what she described as the ongoing genocide in Gaza and escalating ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Chowns called for accelerating the process. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) also issued a statement describing the decision as an important step that shows intent to hold Israel accountable, but it is late and insufficient. The campaign stressed that the decision must be followed by new and faster steps, noting that Palestinians have paid the price for Britain's complicity with the occupation. This follows an announcement by 12 Western countries, including Britain, on Tuesday imposing restrictions on trade in goods with settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a joint statement on the two-state solution. Miliband also announced sanctions on companies and individuals providing services for settlement expansion, in addition to sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers.