UK urged to act ‘comprehensively’ against Israel’s settlement plans
Imran Mulla reports in Middle East Eye on 1 September 2026:
The Labour Muslim Network (LMN) and International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) have published a legal briefing urging the British government to act “urgently and comprehensively” to apply pressure on Israel over its actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The briefing, entitled “Priority Measures for UK Policy on Palestine”, comes as Andy Burnham’s government is expected to announce a raft of new measures on Israel this month.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said last month that the government would announce “measures” against Israel over the new E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two.
The LMN, a group within the Labour Party, told Middle East Eye: “The Israeli government’s E1 settlement project could destroy the future of a viable Palestinian state. “Settlement expansion, settler violence and terrorism, and the forcible displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are accelerating on a daily basis.” The LMN added: “The UK government and the international community as a whole must act urgently and comprehensively in response to this destructive proposal before potentially irreversible damage is done.”
Last month, MEE reported that Burnham’s government is poised to announce a raft of new policies on Israel in September, including a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Miliband in particular is pushing for stronger measures and has been consulting a range of civil society organisations, MEE understands.
But pro-Israel groups are campaigning for the government to weaken its policies and not implement a full ban on the import of settlement foods.
The briefing by the LMN and the ICJP, published on Tuesday, says: “The legal framework governing the settlements is firmly established in international humanitarian law, including treaties to which the UK is a party.