Portugal is one of 12 countries that announced this Tuesday a series of sanctions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, together with the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Sweden. The British government announced on the same day that it will prohibit the import of goods from Israeli settlements and now considers the occupation of the West Bank illegal, in line with international law and with the 2024 International Criminal Court decision.
In a joint statement, the 12 countries warned that the situation in the West Bank is deteriorating rapidly in the face of unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion, calling on the Israeli government to stop the expansion and violence. The United Kingdom also announced sanctions on services related to settlement expansion, individuals who promote violence against Palestinians, and will prohibit the promotion of Israeli settlements in the country.
The United Kingdom is now the country with the strongest language ever used by a British government against Israeli occupation. The British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, accused Israeli "terrorists" of attempting to carry out "ethnic cleansing" in the occupied Palestinian territory. Trade between the United Kingdom and Israel reached 6 billion pounds in 2025, with approximately 38 million pounds relating to settlements.
In response, Israel announced the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem and the exclusion of the United Kingdom from the US-led mission to Gaza. Several Israeli ministers proposed retaliatory measures, including the expulsion of the British ambassador and the recognition of Argentine sovereignty over the Falklands. The US ambassador to Israel accused the United Kingdom of "Jew-hatred". The UN reported that by August 2024, more than 1,040 Palestinians had been injured and more than 20 killed by settlers or the Israeli army in the West Bank, and since 2020 no settler has been convicted for killing Palestinians.
