The United Kingdom announced unprecedented sanctions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in a significant diplomatic measure. The sanctions represent one of the firmest actions by the British government regarding Israel's settlement policy.
The Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, explicitly accused Israeli settlers of being "terrorists" and of expelling Palestinian civilians from their lands in the West Bank. Miliband used the expression "ethnic cleansing" to describe the actions of these settlers.
The measure occurs in a context of growing international concern regarding settler violence against Palestinian populations in the occupied West Bank. The United Kingdom thus joined other countries that have taken firmer positions against settlements.
The British sanctions include financial and economic restrictions targeting individuals and entities associated with settlements in the West Bank, representing an escalation in the United Kingdom's posture regarding the conflict.



