It is long standing UK Government policy that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution harder to achieve. That is why the UK supported resolution 2234 at the UN on before Christmas. This is a view I support.
I am encouraged that Government Ministers consistently urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building and to remove illegal outposts, and I know the Israeli authorities are well aware of the UK’s long standing position.
There are currently no plans for legislation to ban the import of settlement products, I know that the Government works with the EU to ensure continued, full and effective implementation of existing EU legislation and bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products. This work includes measures to ensure that settlement produce does not enter the EU duty-free, under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and steps to ensure that EU-wide guidelines are issued to make sure that settlement products are not incorrectly labelled as Israeli produce, in violation of EU consumer protection regulations. I think that consumers should be in a position to make informed decisions about companies they choose to engage with.