UK working on plan to ban all trade with Israeli settlements, minister says

The UK is developing a comprehensive plan to ban all import and export of goods and services with Israeli settlements, Minister for Trade Chris Bryant announced on Wednesday during the Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls. Bryant stated, “It is time to move from simply labeling goods from illegal settlements to banning goods from illegal settlements,” emphasizing that no British business should be involved in the sustenance or expansion of these settlements. He highlighted concerns about service exports, such as financial or legal support for settlement activities, and acknowledged the challenges of effective enforcement. The Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign Office have been collaborating for months to create a robust plan, aiming to utilize existing sanctions frameworks rather than new legislation. This initiative follows similar efforts by the EU, which recently failed to reach a qualified majority on a comparable ban.