UK To Examine Measures To Stop Companies Financing New West Bank Settlements

UK to Examine Measures to Stop Companies Financing New West Bank Settlements The United Kingdom government is set to examine ways of preventing British companies from financing, constructing or advertising new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said. Miliband said the government would look at what further measures could be taken to address the involvement of UK businesses in activities linked to new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. The announcement comes amid continued international concern over the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Palestinians and many governments regard as a major obstacle to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The UK government’s proposed examination could focus on the role of British businesses and whether their commercial activities contribute to the development or promotion of new settlements. The issue is politically sensitive, with the status and expansion of settlements remaining one of the most contentious aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Miliband’s comments signal a possible tightening of the UK’s approach to British corporate involvement in settlement-related activities as the government considers additional measures.