Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, said that the UK must ban the import of goods from illegal settlements in the West Bank if the Israeli government presses ahead with annexation plans this week.
The move would be a “major step” and require “courage that so far ministers have not been willing to show”, she told the Observer, the Guardian reported. But “such a blatant breach of international law must have consequences”.
The Israeli regime PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will “apply sovereignty” to up to 30% of the occupied West Bank as early as Wednesday, despite mounting international opposition and warnings.
Boris Johnson’s government is coming under increasing pressure to take concrete action if Netanyahu’s annexation proposals are implemented.
She noted that the annexation "will undermine the prospect of a peaceful two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and has serious implications for the stability of the Middle East.”
“It is a shameful proposition to which the UK cannot be a silent witness. Across the world concern is growing … So far the UK government has been conspicuously absent from this global response.
Last week, more than 1,000 European parliamentarians signed a letter opposing annexation, saying “acquisition of territory by force … must have commensurate consequences” and calling on European leaders to “act decisively”.
MAH/PR