UK imposes sanctions on Israeli settlements, accuses settlers of ‘ethnic cleansing’

Britain has imposed new economic restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing extremist settlers of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians, according to New York Times.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the measures in Parliament on Tuesday, including a ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements and restrictions on services linked to settlement expansion, such as construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate. Britain also said it would restrict arms sales that could materially contribute to the occupation.

The measures were coordinated with France and Canada, which also announced restrictions targeting settlement trade. The UK said the action was intended to protect the prospects of a two-state solution amid rising settler violence and Israeli settlement expansion.