UK PM Says Britain Must Stand With Palestinians Facing Displacement

LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom must move beyond statements and take concrete action in support of a two-state solution, accusing Israel’s settlement policies of undermining the future of Palestine.

Speaking to Labour MPs, Burnham said Britain had a responsibility to stand against injustice and support people being “bullied out of their homes and intimidated.” He said the UK would continue to stand with the “underdog” and take practical steps to support those facing displacement.

Burnham’s comments came after Britain announced a ban on imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, along with targeted measures against individuals and companies involved in settlement construction, financing and related activities.

The British government said Israel’s continued settlement expansion and rising settler violence were undermining the possibility of a viable Palestinian state.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the new measures would target settlement activity and those who support, facilitate or profit from it. London has also formally described Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory as unlawful.

The British government has maintained that the measures are designed to protect the possibility of a two-state solution and oppose actions that amount to the annexation of Palestinian land and the forcible displacement of Palestinians.

Israel responded angrily to the British measures.

According to current reporting, Israel moved to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem and barred a number of British lawmakers from entering the country. The moves have further strained relations between London and Tel Aviv.

The Israeli response has added to concerns over the widening diplomatic fallout from settlement expansion and the international criticism surrounding Israel’s policies in the occupied West Bank.

Britain has not acted alone.

The UK joined Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden in backing further action against Israeli settlement activity.

In a joint statement, the 12 countries said systematic settlement expansion and increasing settler violence posed a direct threat to the two-state solution.

They called for an immediate halt to settlement expansion, accountability for settler violence and an end to actions that could lead to the annexation of Palestinian territory or forced displacement.

The United States has so far declined to adopt the same policy toward goods produced in Israeli settlements.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not impose Britain-style restrictions on imports from the settlements, while the US ambassador to Israel also criticised the British measures.

The difference has highlighted a growing divide between Washington and several European allies over how to respond to Israel’s settlement expansion and the worsening situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Burnham’s intervention also comes amid the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the war has caused mass displacement and enormous destruction.

In a separate statement, Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said settlement expansion, including Israel’s decision to advance the E1 settlement project, represented an urgent threat to the prospects of a two-state solution.

The three governments said they would take further steps against settlement goods and those facilitating settlement activity.

For Palestinians, the measures represent growing international pressure on Israel over policies that critics say are steadily eroding the possibility of an independent Palestinian state.

Burnham’s latest remarks therefore signal a sharper British position: support for Palestinian rights, opposition to settlement expansion and resistance to the displacement of Palestinians can no longer remain limited to diplomatic statements.