The UK is set to take a tougher stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Ed Miliband has told the Labour Party conference.
Mr Miliband described the Israeli government’s actions in the Palestinian territories as “a stain on the conscience of the world” and pledged further measures, including sanctions targeting economic links with Israeli settlements.
“We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and we match word with action,” he said.
The measures outlined include banning imports from illegal settlements and disrupting supply lines involving British finance, construction and services connected to them.
Mr Miliband said Labour had “reset its approach” under the leadership of Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Earlier this month, the Government announced a ban on all goods produced by illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, described as its most significant policy since the UK recognised Palestinian statehood last year.
Mr Burnham said the ban represented a stand for “fairness against injustice” and was consistent with Labour’s roots.
The Government has nevertheless faced criticism over its continuing links with the Israeli government and its treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. Dozens of people were arrested outside the conference in Liverpool during a demonstration in support of the banned Palestine Action group.
Mr Miliband, who is Jewish, also warned against attempts to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state and said Labour would oppose actions threatening a two-state solution.
Britain and other countries have raised particular concerns about Israel’s approval of the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, which would effectively divide the occupied West Bank in two.
Mr Miliband said he felt “a deep sense of shame about what has unfolded in Palestine under the eyes of the international community”. He has also accused “settler terrorists” of carrying out “ethnic cleansing”, citing demolished homes, destroyed roads and public infrastructure, and families displaced from their homes.
