UK announces import ban on Israeli settlement goods in West Bank

The British government on Tuesday announces its new trade restrictions to ban goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and some services including financing, contruction, infrastructure, real estate and advertising for settlements.

Tel Aviv responds with immediate fury, telling Britain to shut down its East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days.

Supported by the United Nations Human Rights Office, the UK, France and Canada have initiated coordinated sanctions against Israel that mark an escalation of international pressure.

The UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says in an address to the parliament that the "settler terrorists" have turned a blind eye to what he terms as "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians.

Miliband says their government will impose a total import ban of settlement products and tighten its arms embargo in a toughening of its stance.

"Today, I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful, because of Israel's entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty and its expanisionist agenda via illegal settlements. The government believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationships we choose to have with the occupied territories, " he says.

Israel blasts the accusations as "outrageous lies."

The country's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar describes the move as a "blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process" before next month's Israeli election.

Saar has announced closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, which represents the British government in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza on Palestinian issues.

Officials working there have been told to leave within 30 days, sources say.

To this, Miliband notes he regrets Israel's decision to close the British consulate, but it is not a surprise.

He tells BBC TV that they've weighed the costs and benefits of acting, and they thought they simply could not stand by because they feared Israeli action.

Furthermore, Israel has moved to expel British representatives from a key Gaza humanitarian coordination centre and terminate British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria.

A dozen British lawmakers and other nationals, including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, will also be banned from entering the Israeli territory.