Canada and France are expected to announce a ban on importing West Bank settlement products alongside the UK.
The French decision is said to follow the failure of a Franco-Swedish push to set up a European Union trade ban.
The decision is also reportedly linked to the Israeli release of tenders for the construction of 1,200 housing units in the E1 area, controversial project that – it is claimed – would effectively separate the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem, Ha’aretz reported.
Ed Miliband is set to announce sanctions targeting settlements in the West Bank in a Commons statement today.
The foreign secretary is expected to present a “reset” of Britain’s relations with Israel.
The UK’s independent reviewer of terror legislation has already raised concerns over the impact on Britain’s Jewish community of making Israel a “pariah state” a year on from the Heaton Park attack.
Ministers have suggested goods coming out of the settlements in the West Bank could be subject to trade restrictions as part of the changes.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham discussed the Middle East with US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Monday ahead of Britain’s intervention, which risks drawing criticism from Washington.
Downing Street said Burnham had set out “the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region” and stressed the importance of the two-state solution, but made no mention of how the president responded.
The Times reported that the Trump administration would make a statement attacking the intervention.
Tensions in the West Bank have flared in recent months, with Israeli settlers involved in violent disputes with Palestinians.
Labour lost the support of many of its left-wing backers under Sir Keir Starmer over his initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel in 2023.
Burnham, who was among senior party figures to have called for a ceasefire by late October that year, previously suggested he would change the government’s approach to the conflict soon after coming to office in July.
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