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Ed Miliband defends U.K. decision to ban imports from Israeli West Bank settlements

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended the U.K. government's decision to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stating that the move is necessary to support a two-state solution. The administration announced the ban on Tuesday, which includes all goods from the settlements and services such as financing, construction, and infrastructure.

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Israel responded to the sanctions by closing the British consulate in east Jerusalem within 30 days and banning a dozen U.K. lawmakers from entering the country. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the move, labeling Miliband's allegations of "ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank as "outrageous lies." Saar also stated that Israel would expel U.K. representatives from a joint military center and end U.K. training of the Palestinian Authority's security forces. While France and Canada also announced similar sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that the administration did not have a comment on an American response yet. Rubio stated that the U.K. did not want to see an uptick in violence or conflict in the West Bank at a tenuous time in the region.

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