France, Canada set to join UK in banning trade with Israeli settlements

France and Canada are expected to join the United Kingdom in announcing a ban on imports of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as efforts to impose similar measures at the European Union level remain stalled, Haaretz reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The report said France decided to back the planned British move after a joint French-Swedish initiative to impose EU sanctions on settlement products failed to make progress.

The decision also follows the publication of a tender for the construction of 1,200 housing units in the E1 area of the West Bank, where Israeli settlement plans could potentially sever the territorial contiguity of Palestinian areas.

According to the sources, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to announce a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the House of Commons.

Bloomberg reported that British diplomats had privately assured U.S. officials that the planned sanctions would be largely symbolic and would not materially affect Britain’s broader trade or security relationship with Israel.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee critisized Britain’s planned sanctions on goods and services from West Bank settlements, calling the move an "irrational step."

He added: "if Britain is truly interested in addressing issues it deems wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China and Russia?"

Huckabee has previously accused the British government and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband of "Jew-hatred."

The British Foreign Office expects Israel to respond strongly to the measures and is concerned that their timing, roughly six weeks before Israel’s election, could be used by the Israeli government for political purposes. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar made clear that last week that Israel would take countermeasures in response to possible British actions but did not provide details.

The Financial Times reported that Israel was considering expelling British representatives from an international command centre in Kiryat Gat overseeing the Gaza cease-fire. Such a move could create difficulties for Israel, as Britain has the center’s third-largest delegation after the United States and Israel, while the U.S. commander’s deputy is also British.

President Isaac Herzog addressed the developments in Britain and their potential impact on Israel’s elections during a speech on Tuesday at an event marking 30 years of Israeli participation in the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program.

Herzog said the announcement of British trade sanctions against Israeli settlements was expected on Tuesday and warned that, if implemented, "other countries may join."

According to Herzog, such a move would "be a grave error in judgment and a choice on the wrong side of history."

"In the current context, this would be blatant interference in the democratic elections of a sovereign state. ... I say to all foreign governments: Stop! Stay away from the dead end of sanctions and boycotts, and turn toward constructive dialogue and cooperation," he added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov