French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Tuesday that France will launch a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, amid rising settler violence and expansion of settlements. The move comes as part of a joint initiative with Britain, which also announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements, and is expected to be followed by up to a dozen countries. France's ties with Israel have been strained for several months, particularly since last September when France led efforts at the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state. Barrot cited the escalating violence against Palestinians and expansion of settlements as reasons for the ban, stating that the West Bank is "close to exploding".
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Ed Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, has announced a ban on imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in the Israeli occupied West Bank, as part of a new policy to pressure Israel over settlement expansion. The move is seen as a significant shift in Britain's relations with Israel, and comes after Andy Burnham, the UK Prime Minister, suggested that he would impose sanctions on Israel if elected.
The ban is part of a broader effort by the UK, along with France and Canada, to restrict trade with Israeli settlements. The measures are intended to support the two-state solution and address concerns over the occupation in the West Bank. However, the move has been criticized by the US and some Israeli politicians, who argue that it will harm relations between the countries.
The UK's position is that the settlement expansion is undermining prospects for a two-state solution, which has long been supported by Britain. Ed Miliband emphasized that the British government's argument is not with the people of Israel, but rather with the conduct of their government. He also stated that the UK agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank.
The ban on imports of goods from Israeli settlements will be part of a broader effort to restrict trade with these areas. The measures are intended to be limited and symbolically significant, but will not come into force immediately.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 7121 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-08
France to ban products from Israeli settlements in West Bank, foreign minister says
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minister → ban → Bank
France will launch a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday, amid rising settler violence that has further undermined prospects for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
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that → launch → Palestinians
"France is going to put an end to its commerce with Israeli settlements in Palestine, along with 11 other countries which have also undertaken similar engagements," Barrot wrote on X.
"Why are we doing this?
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we → go → this
Because the West Bank is close to exploding - there is frenzied expansion of the settlements, a flare up of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers, and acts of terror which have been attacked by Israeli authorities themselves," added Barrot.
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Barrot → explode → authorities
The move comes as frustration has grown among some European Union states, which have sought for the bloc to take a decision, but failed to gain a qualified majority with the notable opposition from Germany.
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bloc → come → Germany
On Tuesday, Britain announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in coordination with France and Canada.
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Britain → announce → France
"Given the situation on the ground we can't wait, so we are taking this national decision," a French diplomatic source told reporters in a briefing ahead of the announcement.
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source → give → announcement
The modalities of the ban have yet to be finalised and it was not immediately clear when it would be implemented.
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it → have → ban
"This announcement is part of the joint initiative between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, which was discussed in particular during their meeting in London and to which several of our partners in the European Union and beyond have signed up," the source said, adding as many as a dozen countries would follow suit.
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countries → discuss → suit
The source said it was not a boycott of Israel.
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it → say → Israel
Britain's decision was met by some angry reaction Israel with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for the UK ambassador to be expelled.
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ambassador → meet → reaction
France's ties with Israel have been strained for several months and took a turn for the worse last September after France led efforts at the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state.
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France → strain → state
The source said the acceleration of settlements was undermining the prospect of a viable Palestinian state and the decision by the Israeli government to publish tenders for the E1 project was deemed a red line not only for Europe but also for the vast majority of the international community.
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decision → say → community
"We have also seen an intensification of violence committed by settlers, which is unacceptable and, moreover, poses an increasingly serious risk of destabilising the West Bank and the region.
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which → see → Bank
We regret that no sufficient measures have been taken to put an end to this situation," the source said.
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source → regret → situation
