Hamas has welcomed sanctions imposed on Israel by Britain, describing Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s decision to characterise violence against Palestinians in the West Bank as “ethnic cleansing” as a step in the right direction.
The response from the proscribed terrorist organisation, which was responsible for the October 7 attacks that killed 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, came after the UK announced measures targeting businesses and individuals linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, said: “The imposition of sanctions by Britain and other European countries and Canada on goods imported from the settlements of the occupied West Bank, and the London foreign minister’s use of the term ‘ethnic cleansing’ to describe the crimes of the settlers, are important steps in the right direction but they are not enough.”
Naim also called for “the prosecution of war criminals in Israel in a manner similar to the Nazi trials at Nuremberg in Germany”.
Miliband told MPs on Tuesday that Britain considered Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory “unlawful” and accused the Israeli government of undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.
“The British Government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists,” he said.
“And all too often, the Israeli Government has turned a blind eye to this.”
The Foreign Secretary, who said he remained a proud Jew while announcing the measures, said Britain would sanction companies and individuals providing financial, infrastructure, property or construction support to settlements.
The government will also block weapons export licences for arms considered to “materially contribute to the occupation”.
Israel has responded with a series of retaliatory measures, denouncing what it described as “outrageous lies” by Miliband. The Israeli government has ordered the closure of the UK’s consulate in East Jerusalem and expelled British diplomats from the country.
It has also imposed entry bans on 11 left-wing British MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott.
Israel’s finance ministry is meanwhile examining measures to limit the economic impact of the sanctions, including more than £48mn in grants for West Bank farmers affected by the restrictions.
A senior ministry official told Israel Hayom: “It’s too early to tell the total impact of the sanctions, because we’re currently in only the declarative stage, which leaves time to negotiate.”
The diplomatic fallout has extended beyond Britain and Israel. Foreign ministers from Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement supporting Britain’s decision “to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
Iran’s state broadcaster also welcomed the move, running the headline: “Britain gives in to taking a hard line against the Israeli regime.”
Israeli officials have signalled that they intend to use diplomacy to limit the measures, seeking to confine their effect to direct settlement exports and prevent banks from being blacklisted because of inadvertent links to sanctioned entities.
Ameer Kotecha, who previously led on Palestinian affairs at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, warned that the sanctions could have unintended consequences for humanitarian operations in Gaza.
“The consulate is basically the place coordinating all of our humanitarian and aid efforts for Gaza.
“There is a very real argument here that this is going to harm the ordinary Gazans that the average British person wants to support and assist.”
Kotecha added that there was likely to be “huge amounts of scrambling going on” to maintain those programmes.
The measures come as violence in the West Bank continues to intensify. Data compiled by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs shows that settler attacks have exceeded 1,000 this year.
The incidents have affected 230 communities, averaging six attacks a day — the highest rate recorded — and have displaced an estimated 2,200 Palestinians.
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