The United Kingdom (UK) has significantly escalated its measures against Israel, announcing restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements, further sanctions against settlers, and tighter controls on exports connected to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the measures in Parliament this week. The British government also formally adopted the position that Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful, bringing its position into line with the central finding of a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice.

The new package will prohibit the importation of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and ban the advertising or promotion in Britain of land and property in those settlements. Britain also plans to create powers allowing sanctions against companies and individuals involved in financing, constructing, providing infrastructure for, or otherwise facilitating settlement expansion.

Five additional individuals accused of supporting, inciting, or carrying out violence against Palestinians were sanctioned immediately, taking the number of people currently under British sanctions as a result of settler activity to 38. The government is also expanding its global human rights sanctions regime so that individuals and companies connected to settlement projects can be targeted more readily.

Britain has also tightened its approach to military exports. The government said its existing suspension of more than 30 arms export licences connected to Israeli military operations in Gaza would remain in force. It will now also refuse applications for arms and other exports considered to materially contribute to the occupation.

The settlement trade restrictions are being coordinated with France and Canada. A wider group of nearly 10 European governments has also said it intends to introduce or consider restrictions on trade involving Israeli settlements. Britain says the measures are directed specifically at settlement activity and that it intends to maintain normal trade with Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries.

Israel responded by ordering Britain to close its consulate in East Jerusalem within 30 days. It also barred 12 British figures from entering Israel and ended some British participation in Israeli and Palestinian coordination arrangements.

The September announcement represents the latest stage in a process that began more than two years ago.

The American response to the UK's actions was notably muted, reflecting the extent to which both the left and right of American politics stand increasingly at odds with the idea of Israel.

The latest UK measures are the extension of a long-term trendline.

In June 2026, Britain sanctioned six organisations and one individual accused of financing, enabling, or participating in settler violence. At the same time, official British guidance was strengthened to advise British citizens and companies against conducting economic or financial activity in Israeli settlements.

A year earlier, in June 2025, Britain took the politically more significant step of sanctioning two serving Israeli Cabinet ministers. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir were subjected to asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions on serving as company directors. Britain said the sanctions were imposed over their alleged incitement of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

That followed another package in May 2025 targeting three individuals, two settlement outposts, and two organisations linked to violence in the West Bank. On the same day, the British government suspended negotiations with Israel over a new free trade agreement and announced a review of cooperation under the two countries’ 2030 bilateral roadmap.

The economic measures had already been accompanied by restrictions on arms exports. In September 2024, Britain suspended 29 export licences covering equipment intended for use in Israeli military operations in Gaza after concluding that there was a clear risk that certain exports could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. Around 350 licences involving Israel existed at the time. Components supplied through the multinational F-35 programme were generally exempt unless they were being supplied directly to Israel.

The sanctions campaign against settlers began earlier in 2024 under the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak. In February that year, Britain sanctioned four Israeli settlers accused of violence and intimidation against Palestinians, imposing asset freezes, and travel restrictions.

A second package followed in May 2024, targeting another four individuals as well as the Hilltop Youth and Lehava organisations.

In October 2024, the Labour government expanded the sanctions to institutions and settlement infrastructure, targeting three outposts and four organisations accused of supporting or financing violence against Palestinians.

The progression has therefore been substantial. British policy began with sanctions against individual settlers, expanded to organisations and settlement outposts, then reached serving Israeli ministers, arms exports, and trade negotiations. The September 2026 package goes further by targeting the economic infrastructure of settlement expansion itself, including goods, property advertising, companies, and future exports connected to Israeli-administered areas.