Exclusive: UK sanctions on Israeli settlements to include those in Syria's Golan Heights

What Happened

On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that Britain will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in occupied territories, alongside a new sanctions regime targeting companies and individuals providing construction, infrastructure financing, or real estate services for settlement expansion. Government sources confirmed to Middle East Eye on Thursday night that the measures cover Israeli settlements in the occupied Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, in addition to the occupied West Bank. Miliband said settlements are illegal and should not be promoted in the UK. The Golan Heights was occupied by Israel in 1967 and subsequently annexed in a move not recognised internationally; UN Resolution 242 calls for Israel to withdraw from it and other occupied territories. About 20,000 Israeli settlers and 26,000 predominantly Druze native inhabitants live there.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The UK move expands European pressure on Israel's settlement enterprise beyond the West Bank to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, reinforcing the international position that these territories are occupied and settlements illegal. It comes amid Israel's war in Gaza and heightened scrutiny of settlement expansion, and triggered direct diplomatic retaliation from Israel against the UK.

Watch For

Monitor whether the UK publishes the detailed sanctions list and how it defines religious exemptions; whether the 11 co-signatory countries follow with their own national restrictions; and how Israel implements its threatened closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem and parliamentary bans. Also watch for further Israeli settlement announcements or retaliatory measures affecting UK diplomats and lawmakers.