West Bank: Illegal Settlements
Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Contributions
Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)Labour
4. What steps his Department is taking to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank.
Janet Daby (Lewisham East) (Lab)Labour
5. What discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the E1 settlement plan in the west bank.
Nesil Caliskan (Barking) (Lab)Labour
9. What steps his Department is taking to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab)Labour
16. What steps his Department is taking to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank.
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Ed Miliband)Labour
On 8 September I announced new measures to tackle settlement expansion, including a sanctions regime to target those who support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. We are doing everything in our power to stop the prospect of a two-state solution being destroyed by the expansion of illegal settlements.
The Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din has found that between 2005 and 2023 more than 93% of investigations into settler violence in the west bank were closed without indictment, with just 3% resulting in convictions. With the olive harvest underway, Palestinian farmers continue to face threats from settler violence. Will the Minister update the House on what steps the Government are taking to protect Palestinian farmers and ensure that those responsible for violence are held to account?
My hon. Friend asks an important question. The UK has stepped in to support Palestinian farmers who lost their work permits in green line Israel, but her broader point is the most important one. I am very conscious that today is election day in Israel and that these are matters for the Israeli people. Whichever Government—it is their choice—are elected today, I hope that we can work with them to counter the settler terrorism that we see, because it is in nobody’s interests, not least in the interests of the security of Israel.
Mr SpeakerSpeaker
I call Nesil Caliskan—happy birthday.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the Government’s new sanctions to address illegal settlement expansion in the west bank. We have all watched in great horror as Palestinians face injustice and ethnic cleansing. Indeed, a Human Rights Watch report found that Israeli forces had committed war crimes in the west bank. Will the Secretary of State stand by his words to this House, as I am sure that he will, not only to call out injustice and suffering, but to act? With that in mind, will the Government sanction Israeli Defence Minister Katz and Major General Bluth, who are implicated in these crimes?
Let me join you, Mr Speaker, in wishing my hon. Friend a happy birthday. May I say how well informed you are? I credit your staff, myself. In all seriousness, the situation in the west bank is horrifying. We are witnessing unprecedented levels of violence, including settler terrorism and ethnic cleansing in some areas. I am not going to speculate on future designations of specific individuals, but we have laid legislation this month to expand the global human rights sanctions regime to target those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law, and we will use those powers.
I thank the Secretary of State for his responses so far. The E1 scheme is a further terrifying situation for Palestinians, who are vulnerable and have no protections. Will he say what sanctions are being put in place at present? What more are the Government doing to ensure that those working on the E1 scheme are sanctioned?
My hon. Friend raises a really important issue that we have discussed in this House before. The E1 development is a direct threat to the prospect of a two-state solution. I want to be completely clear that those individuals and businesses that proceed with bids for E1 construction tenders risk facing the full force of UK sanctions—I said that on the day of the closing of the tenders. That is why what we are doing is about much more than symbolism; it is about substantively stopping the destruction of the prospect of a two-state solution.
As we speak right now, Israel is yet again pursuing its brutal policy of collective punishment in the west bank, with Hebron sealed off and more than 1,000 people due to have their homes demolished imminently. I welcome our Government boldly placing sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements. With Israelis going to the polls today, will the Secretary of State commit to maintaining the pressure until illegal settlement expansion ends once and for all and we can truly see the two-state solution that we all dream of?
My hon. Friend speaks with great eloquence on these issues, and I agree with her. It is right to say that the very important finding we have made is that the occupation, not just the settlements, is illegal. Therefore, in furtherance of our policy of a two-state solution to the occupation of the west bank and Gaza, we will take action in relation to the economic relationships that we have. She is exactly right about this issue; this is about bringing peace to Palestinians and Israelis.
Sarah Green (Chesham and Amersham) (LD)Liberal Democrat
The Foreign Secretary mentions people running the risk of the full force of the sanctions regime, given the new powers that the Government have to sanction companies funding and building illegal settlements. The E1 tenders will open on 19 November. Will he commit to sanctioning those companies bidding before that date, not once the bulldozers arrive?
Governments of both parties have had a general approach, which is not to speculate on sanctions and designations before we actually do them, but I am glad that the hon. Lady has raised this issue. Let me say very clearly to her that we are determined to do all we can to prevent the settlement building in E1 from happening. We have brought the sanctions regime—not the sanctions regime that is coming in the next six months, but the extension of the GHR sanctions regime—precisely so that we can take swift action.
Chris Law (Dundee Central) (SNP)Scottish National Party
The Foreign Secretary pledged to take action against specific companies that provide services for settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Delek Group, which supports illegal settlements through the provision of refuelling services to Israeli military vehicles and the operation of fuel stations in East Jerusalem and the west bank, has been flagged by the UN for human rights concerns and could receive more than £200 million in revenue through its majority stake in Ithaca Energy if the Rosebank field is approved. Given that the Foreign Secretary has already said that approval of Rosebank would be “climate vandalism”, what does he have to say about profits from Scotland’s oil supporting illegal settlement expansion in the west bank?
I am going to stick to my lane, as they say. We do not talk about specific companies in relation to sanctions before we take action, but the hon. Gentleman should be in no doubt about the purpose of our sanctions regime—to prevent the growth of illegal settlements, which is destroying the prospect of a two-state solution.
Manuela Perteghella (Stratford-on-Avon) (LD)Liberal Democrat
Alongside the expansion of illegal settlements, as we have heard, there has been growing concern about violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against Palestinian communities in the west bank. Does the Secretary of State believe that the UK’s current response is sufficient, and what further steps is he prepared to take to hold those responsible to account?
In all honesty, I do not think that the response of the international community as a whole has been sufficient, which is why I made the statement I did on 8 September. In my Department and across Government, we are continuing to think about how we tackle the injustices we face across the world—not just in relation to the west bank—and we will use all the powers at our disposal, including conversations with whatever Government the people of Israel choose to elect, to say, “This settler terrorism must end.” I think that view is shared right across this House.
Dr Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)Green Party
On 14 October, the UN’s international commission of inquiry on the OPT and Israel published its latest report. I quote paragraph 43, which concludes that “Israeli military operations in the West Bank since 7 October 2023 constitute a course of conduct that forms part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population” and states that “sexual and gender-based violence” and targeted attacks against children form part of that co-ordinated action on the part of the Israeli military. This is not just settler terrorism; it is action by the current Israeli Government. Has the Secretary of State read that report of the independent international commission of inquiry? Does he recognise its conclusions? How can he continue to treat the current Israeli Government as an ally in that context, and what further action will he take to ensure that the UK is not complicit in these abuses?
I have seen that report, and I undertake to read it comprehensively. The reason we took the actions we did on 8 September was precisely to say that we will not stand by in silence as the suffering continues in Gaza and the west bank. We called out increasing evidence of war crimes in Gaza, and we called out ethnic cleansing by settler terrorists in the west bank. We are going to act, and we will work with the hon. Lady and others across this House to ensure we take the maximum possible action to achieve what we want to see, which is peace, security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians.
Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) (Lab)Labour
Just over a year ago, I and my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Dr Prinsley) were detained and then deported by Israeli authorities as we tried to enter the west bank. Yesterday, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis), the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Lara Bird), and the former MP Sam Tarry were similarly detained by Israeli authorities for eight hours while they tried to enter the west bank. Will the Secretary of State join me in condemning these cases and outline what steps the Government will take to ensure that MPs can visit the occupied west bank without obstruction or intimidation?
I am glad that my hon. Friend has raised this case, because we are obviously deeply concerned about the denial of entry to the west bank to two Members of Parliament and, I believe, one Member of the Scottish Parliament. Of course, we have raised this issue with the Israeli authorities and been in touch with those MPs to offer assistance. More broadly, it is very important that as Members of this House go about their business—not just in the UK, but internationally—they have free access, so that they can do their duties to this House.
John Milne (Horsham) (LD)Liberal Democrat
The Government have declared the occupation unlawful, and their measures on settlements depend on reliable evidence of what is happening on the ground. In April, the Foreign Office unit that tracked potential breaches of international law by Israel was closed because of cuts, with the work said to pass to a “different team”. Which team now does that work, and how many officials does it have?
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that that work carries on. We have excellent civil servants who work on all these issues, including potential breaches of international humanitarian law, and we take these issues incredibly seriously as a Department and as a Government.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5425610.