As the anniversary of Britain’s recognition of the State of Palestine approaches, London has finally taken another step, under Labour leader Andy Burnham, by banning products from illegal settlements and prohibiting the financing of, or participation in, the construction of these settlements. Although the decision is largely symbolic, given the small volume of settlement exports compared with Israel’s overall exports, it nevertheless carries clear political significance.
This was immediately understood by the Israeli government, which announced the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem, revoked residency permits for British diplomats based in Ramallah, and expelled British representatives from the Gaza International Monitoring Centre, a monitoring facility controlled by the occupation government. Israel’s angry response came as 12 countries, including France, Canada, Spain, Sweden and Norway, announced their support for the British measures, amid Israeli fears that the wave of punitive measures against settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank could grow.
Burnham blamed “a government that has long hesitated to act for fear of being accused of being anti-Israel,” adding: “Today, we are announcing targeted measures that do not target the Israeli people, but the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government.” He also said: “The suffering of the Palestinian people is a stain on the conscience of the world. Innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed in Gaza, and the humanitarian crisis continues, with far too little aid getting through.”
Clearly, this step has come far too late. For decades, European countries, including Britain, have repeatedly stated that settlements established in occupied territories are illegal and an obstacle to a two-state solution. Yet these governments, with the exception of limited decisions by some administrations, have refrained from taking concrete measures against settlement expansion.
Britain, in particular, also refused to describe what happened and continues to happen in Gaza as a genocidal war, along with the measures that should have followed from such a position. Even worse, several reports have spoken of Britain continuing to supply Israel with weapons at the height of the war.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is Jewish, announced last Tuesday that his government would adopt a package of measures, including a ban on trade in goods with illegal settlements in Palestine; confirmation, for the first time, that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal, irrespective of the ruling of the ICJ, but in accordance with it; and sanctions against individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlements. This includes companies or investors involved in the E1 project. A package of urgently needed humanitarian assistance for Gaza was also announced.
While the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, HusamZomlot, described these measures as a turning point in British policy, British newspapers, including The Independent, have called for further measures to pressure the Israeli government to halt its expansionist policies and end its persecution of Palestinians.
The newspaper recalled Britain’s “historic responsibility for the situation in Israel and Palestine,” referring to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which paved the way for the establishment of Israel on Palestinian land, the expulsion of Palestinians from their land and homes, and the subsequent British Mandate, which enabled Zionist organisations to establish their state.What a dark history it has been,stretching back more than a century.
London also has a duty to respond to Israel’s decision to close the consulate in Jerusalem and revoke the residency permits of British diplomats, in accordance with established political and diplomatic conventions. Failure to respond sends a signal of weakness or confusion.
Britain’s political establishment understands that allowing Israel to escape accountability has, over decades, encouraged the perpetration of countless atrocities and increased the expansionist appetite of Israel’s nationalist and religious right. The occupiers have continually waged a systematic war against Palestinian civilians, confiscated more land and destroyed Palestinian communities, while crippling the work of UNRWA and other international organisations and openly expressing contempt for the UN and its resolutions.
[by Mahmoud Al-Rimawi in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque