UK announces West Bank settlement goods ban; Israel sets 30-day deadline to close British East Jerusalem consulate

On Tuesday Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament Britain will introduce, over six to nine months, an import ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, sanctions on firms and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and a ban on advertising settlement property, while stating the UK view that the occupation is unlawful. France and Canada joined; nine other countries endorsed related restrictions. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered closure of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem; sources told Reuters Wednesday that Israel gave London 30 days to shut the mission and shorter deadlines for some British personnel in Ramallah and a Gaza coordination center. Saar also barred 12 British politicians from entry and ended UK training of Palestinian Authority forces. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned of economic blowback for British firms under state anti-boycott laws; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not follow the UK move.