LDFP welcomes the measures announced by the UK Government today in response to the continued expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on the import of settlement goods and sanctions against the provision of services such as construction or financing for illegal settlements.

Today’s measures rightly recognise that settlement expansion is not the preserve of a few extremist individuals, but a state-backed project that has been actively pursued over decades by successive Israeli governments.

The measures are entirely consistent with the UK’s obligations under international law, including the obligation to withhold all forms of support that could assist the illegal occupation, as established by the ICJ’s July 2024 Advisory Opinion.

Liberal Democrats have long called for a ban on all trade with illegal settlements, covering goods, services and investment, and we welcome the Government’s decision to take meaningful action in this area.

The effectiveness of these measures will depend on robust and consistent enforcement, including enforcing requirements on Israeli authorities regarding the identification of settlement goods, with clear consequences for non-compliance.

We also welcome the decision to revoke arms export licences that materially contribute to the occupation. However, given credible allegations of genocide, war crimes and other grave violations of international law, the Government should go further and implement a full arms embargo on Israel, as the Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for. It should also set out clearly the steps it is taking to fulfil its obligations to prevent genocide following the ICJ’s January 2024 order.

Today’s announcement is an important step forward, but it should not be the final one. If Israel continues to expand the settlements and entrench its unlawful occupation, the UK must be prepared to take further measures to uphold international law and put meaningful pressure on the Israeli government to change course.