The United Kingdom confirmed, in September of last year, that it would recognize a Palestinian state, following in the footsteps of France, which had signaled a few months earlier that it planned to take this step laden with symbolism. On Tuesday, almost a year later, it was the British who took the initiative. London announced, followed by Paris and Canada, that it would stop trading with Jewish settlements in the West Bank, going so far as to accuse some settlers of practicing "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians.
Twelve countries already impose sanctions on settlements in the West Bank, demonstrating a coordinated European movement against Israeli settlement policy. The diplomatic sequence reflects, in part, the domestic policy of each country, with leaders seeking to consolidate legacies or respond to internal pressures.
The United Kingdom, France and Canada coordinated their actions to demonstrate a joint European position on the Palestinian issue, marking a new divergence with the posture of the United States regarding the conflict. The decision to interrupt trade with the settlements represents a concrete measure of pressure on Israel.
