Miliband pledges tougher UK action on Israeli settlements

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband used a speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday, September 28, to announce a tougher UK approach to Israeli settlements and defend a two-state solution. He said the government would ban imports of goods from illegal settlements and disrupt links involving British finance, construction and services. The reports describe these as promised measures; they do not establish that they have taken effect or specify their legal scope or timetable. Miliband addressed people who had been moved and angered by Palestinians’ plight, saying, “we hear you, you were right.” He said Labour had reset its approach under Prime Minister Andy Burnham and pledged to challenge Israeli government actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Miliband distinguished his criticism of the government from the people of Israel, saying the dispute was with the government’s actions. The foreign secretary said the UK would oppose efforts to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He presented the settlement-related measures as action beyond verbal condemnation, but the speech did not provide implementation details.