France 24 says twelve countries will ban settlement goods; the Jerusalem Post calls it the "UK's Israel boycott"

The measure. Twelve countries, among them Britain, France and Canada, said on Tuesday they would restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. France 24, Al-Monitor, An-Nahar, LBCI, Al-Modon, IRNA and the Jerusalem Post all carry the figure twelve. No report we hold gives a different number.

Four words for one measure. Fourteen of the sixteen reports describe a restriction on goods from settlements. Two call it a boycott or sanctions on Israel itself, and both are built on a critic's words rather than on the measure.

One speech, two actors. An-Nahar and LBCI quote Miliband saying settlers are carrying out ethnic cleansing and that Israel's government "turned a blind eye" to it. The Jerusalem Post's headline moves the act to the state: "UK believes Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing." No report we hold quotes him saying that.

Not settled. Whether France has banned anything: Britain's ban is announced as done, Barrot says France "will launch a process". Which twelve countries — only three are named anywhere we hold. What the other nine restrict, and when.

What this is about. Some governments are starting to stop buying goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

How it got here

• 1967: Israel took the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and Gaza from Egypt, in the 1967 war. It has held the West Bank under military occupation since then, and Israeli civilians have settled there.
• The law: Most governments and the UN say the settlements are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. That treaty bars an occupying power from moving its own people into the land it occupies. Israel disputes this. In July 2024 the International Court of Justice advised that the occupation is unlawful. It also said states should not help keep it in place, including through trade.
• The peace process: The Oslo Accords of the 1990s created the Palestinian Authority, which runs parts of the West Bank. Talks on a Palestinian state beside Israel, known as the "two-state solution", have been stalled for more than a decade.
• Since 2023: Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, and Israel went to war in Gaza. Positions hardened on both sides. In September 2025 France led a push at the UN to recognise a State of Palestine, and Britain and Canada recognised it too.
• Europe: Until now, European countries labelled settlement goods but did not ban them. Reuters, carried by Al-Monitor, reports that EU members tried to act together but did not get enough votes, with Germany against. So some governments acted on their own.

Who is involved

• Britain: Andy Burnham has been Labour prime minister since Keir Starmer resigned in July, An-Nahar reports.
• France and Canada: they are Britain's named partners.
• Israel's government: it includes ministers from the settler movement, among them the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
• The Palestinian Authority: its presidency welcomed the measure, LBCI reports.

What is at stake. The governments behind the ban point to E1, a settlement planned east of Jerusalem. Critics say building it would cut East Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank. Israel's president called the British sanctions interference in Israel's coming elections.

Where it stands. Britain has announced its ban. France says it will start a process and has given no date. Israel has barred 12 British officials and MPs from entering the country, the Jerusalem Post reports.