Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-09 · by Brian Melley The Associated Press
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended the UK's decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it was a necessary step to prevent expanding settlements and growing violence. The move, which also includes tightening the embargo on weapons sales to Israel for use in Gaza, has been met with criticism from Israel and the UK's chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. Miliband said he was "disappointed" with Israel's response, including the closure of the British consulate in east Jerusalem and the banning of 11 lawmakers from the country. The ban on trade will take effect in up to nine months and has been endorsed by several other countries, including France and Canada.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
France, along with the UK and Canada, has announced a ban on importing goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The UK's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that this move is intended to put pressure on Israel over settlement expansion, which he claims undermines prospects for a two-state solution. The ban will not impact any goods from Israel itself, but rather only those produced in settlements considered illegal under international law.
According to the UN High Commission for Human Rights, over 1,040 Palestinians have been injured and 79 killed in incidents involving Israeli settlers this year alone. This is part of a larger pattern of escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023.
The UK's decision follows a joint statement from Canada and France announcing similar bans on goods from Israeli settlements. Other countries, including Ireland, Spain, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have also taken steps to restrict trade with settlements or are planning to do so.
Written for “UK Bans Israeli Settlement Trade” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 17 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.70, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 7240: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-09
LONDON (AP) — British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Wednesday he was disappointed with Israel’s response to the government’s decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and rejected criticism from the U.K.‘s chief rabbi.
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he → say → rabbi
Israel responded Tuesday by closing the British consulate in east Jerusalem and banning 11 lawmakers from the country.
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Israel → respond → country
“I regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I’m proud of what we did yesterday and it was the right thing to do,” Miliband told Sky News.
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Miliband → regret → News
The U.K.‘s tougher stance was followed by France and Canada’s leaders saying they would take similar action to prevent expanding settlements and growing violence from making it impossible to establish a future Palestinian state.
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it → follow → state
Miliband said “settler terrorists” were carrying out “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians in the U.K. government’s biggest pushback to Israel since it recognized Palestinian statehood a year ago.
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it → say → statehood
He said there had been “houses bulldozed, roads and public infrastructure destroyed, families displaced from their homes.”
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families → say → homes
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the “despicable” move and said Israel would expel U.K. representatives from a joint military center monitoring the Gaza ceasefire and end U.K. training of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the West Bank.
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Israel → condemn → Bank
In addition, Israel barred entry to a dozen British lawmakers and other U.K. citizens whom Sa’ar said were “involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity.”
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Sa’ar → bar → activity
Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi in the U.K., accused the government of “gesture politics” that would bolster “the very extremism they seek to target.”
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they → accuse → extremism
Miliband, who is Jewish, said he respected Mirvis but disagreed with him.
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he → say → him
“We all need to do more to tackle antisemitism, but I believe we can do that and stand up for British values,” he said.
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he → need → values
The ban covers imports of all goods from the settlements and bars companies from providing services for the settlements, including financing, construction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising.
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ban → cover → financing
It will take effect in up to nine months.
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It → take → months
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have pledged to “support further action,” Miliband said.
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Miliband → pledge → action
The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway have either banned goods from settlements or are in the process of doing so, he said.
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he → ban → process
Miliband also tightened Britain’s embargo on weapons sales to Israel for use in Gaza to include arms “that materially contribute to the occupation” of Palestinian territories.
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that → include → territories
The economic impact is likely to be limited, since the settlements produce only a small amount of largely agricultural exports.
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settlements → limit → exports
But the move is a symbolic expression of displeasure with Israel by some of its closest allies, and it offers a new sign of the Israeli government’s growing isolation as a result of the Gaza war.
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it → offer → war
Under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s ultranationalist government, settlement construction in the West Bank — seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — has surged.
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construction → seize → war
Netanyahu’s government views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
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government → view → state
The international community overwhelmingly considers such construction to be illegal.
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construction → consider → ?
Britain and other countries have voiced particular concern about the E1 settlement project approved by Israel, which would effectively cut the territory in two.
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which → voice → two
There have been marked increases in attacks by settlers on Palestinians, evictions from Palestinian towns, Israeli military operations and checkpoints that choke freedom of movement, as well as several Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
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that → mark → Israelis
