The UK has imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and banned related imports. The move, backed by 11 countries, has sharpened debate over occupation, trade and a two-state solution.

The UK banned imports from Israeli settlements, with Ed Miliband announcing sanctions as 12 nations joined in coordinated action against West Bank expansion.

Britain will ban goods and some services linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move sharpens pressure on Israel and underlines UK support for a two-state solution.

The move follows weeks of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages in the illegally occupied territory that some western governments fear threatens the two-state solution.

A British product ban would likely have a limited impact on trade between the countries, but the measures go well beyond previous related sanctions. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

UK is set to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as settler expansion and violence intensify.