In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers
In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers. In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlersPublished5 hours agoHow Israel is expanding settlements in drive to reshape West BankPublished21 AugustThe sanctions were launched alongside France and Canada, which in a joint statement with the UK said the action "marks a further turning point in our approach to protecting the two-state solution".
What happened
Related topicsWest BankIsraelIsrael & the PalestiniansPalestinian territoriesMiddle EastMore on this story'Israeli settlers laid siege to our home': Inside a Palestinian village under weekly attackPublished29 JulyIn West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlersPublished5 hours agoPalestinian parents fear for children's lives at school as settler attacks growPublished23 hours ago Figure caption, Watch: There is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank, says MilibandByPaul Adams, Diplomatic correspondent and Henry MoorePublished8 September 2026, 18:09 BSTUpdated 1 hour agoThe UK has announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing Israel's government of turning a blind eye to the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians by settlers.
Related topicsWest BankEconomic sanctionsIsraelIsrael & the PalestiniansEd MilibandForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeMore on this story'Israeli settlers laid siege to our home': Inside a Palestinian village under weekly attackPublished29 JulyPalestinian parents fear for children's lives at school as settler attacks growPublished23 hours ago Image caption, Dates are among the agricultural products commonly exported from Israeli settlements in the West BankByYolande KnellMiddle East correspondentPublished8 September 2026, 16:03 BSTUpdated 5 hours agoJuicy brown and ripening yellow dates dangle down from the branches of each palm tree at Israeli settler farms in the Jordan Valley, in the occupied West Bank.
This year, as Israeli growers get ready for a good harvest, they are also preparing for the impact of new Western sanctions against settlements, which are illegal under international law. "Image caption, The Jordan Valley is a fertile strip of land that comprises nearly 30% of the West BankMedjool dates are the main export crop from both Israeli settler farms and Palestinian farms in the Jordan Valley. Related topicsWest BankPalestinian territoriesIsraelIsrael & the PalestiniansMiddle EastMore on this storyPalestinian parents fear for children's lives at school as settler attacks growPublished23 hours agoBBC tracks one week of Israeli settler violence in occupied West BankPublished28 AugustUK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada condemn Israel's West Bank settlement projectPublished20 August'Israeli settlers laid siege to our home': Inside a Palestinian village under weekly attackPublished29 July
The wider picture
K. government is pushing ahead with planned sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite U. The UK government implements a comprehensive trade ban and targeted sanctions on goods and services from the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)Amir Levy | Getty Images News | Getty Images"All too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the displacement of Palestinians," he said.
Watch: Pupils return to West Bank school behind barbed wire to protect against settlersWatch: Pupils return to West Bank school behind barbed wire to protect against settlersCloseA school in the occupied West Bank has been surrounded by barbed-wire fencing as Palestinian parents fear for their children's safety due to the rise of Israeli settler attacks in the area. Image source, Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, Three Israeli settlers – including an armed one – stand outside houses after the reopening of a settlement at Ganim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in AugustFor decades, the British and other governments have regarded settlements in occupied Palestinian territory as illegal but stopped short of banning products grown or manufactured there.
"Image caption, Settler farmer Avigdor Arbel does not believe Israel will ever give up the Jordan ValleyWest Bank settlements have expanded rapidly under the current Israeli government, whose ministers say they want "to bury the idea" of an independent Palestinian state – part of the long-standing international formula for peace in the region known as the two-state solution. Quoting a former Israeli minister of health and retired brigadier general, Ephraim Sneh, he said the UK government "agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists", to which the Israeli government had "turned a blind eye" or actually supported.
"Image caption, Palestinian farmer Abdul Halim says half his date farms have no fruit because of a water shortageIsraeli-state support for settlements, as well as their relatively easy access to global markets, means that Palestinian farmers struggle to compete. Within years of Israel's capture of the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War, the Israeli government began encouraging its citizens to move to this area to counter what it saw as the security risk along the border.
What has been reported
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, not including Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, alongside three million Palestinians. Settlements are illegal under international law, and there has been a rise in violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank by settlers in recent months. Miliband said the official view of the government was that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank was unlawful because of the "entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements".
He also said British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel would be removed, and UK activities to train Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria – how the Israeli government refers to the West Bank – would be terminated. There has been a surge in attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
NewscastPlayBookmarkBookmarkSubscribeSubscribeAvailable for over a yearToday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Parliament the UK would ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank. In the speech, he said the UK government "agrees" there is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank, and that the Israeli government is turning a “blind eye”. K. has announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
What happens next
"NORTHERN WEST BANK, WEST BANK – SEPTEMBER 8: An Israeli flag is hang on a sign showing the way to the Palestinian city of Nablus on September 8, 2026 in Northern West Bank, West Bank. An Israeli soldier walks near an armored vehicle in Qalqilya, West Bank, on August 7, 2025, during a night raid marked by confrontations with residents. The raid, part of ongoing Israeli operations in the West Bank, adds to the tension in Qalqilya, a city encircled by the Israeli separation barrier and frequently targeted in military incursions.
All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. SubsectionMiddle EastPublished13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated topicsWest BankFollow West Bankclose panelYou are now following West BankUpdates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage. Figure caption, Watch: There is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank, says MilibandByPaul AdamsDiplomatic correspondentPublished11 minutes agoIsrael's furious response to the British government's decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank testifies to just how important this moment is.
That a British foreign secretary should say that "settler terrorism is rampant" and was responsible for the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, while the Israeli government "turned a blind eye to this and worse," is truly remarkable.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, cnbc.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.