Media: UK Sanctions on Illegal Israeli Settlements to Include Golan Heights

According to media reports on Friday (11/9), British sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank will also encompass settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, Syria.

Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, Syria, and occupied East Jerusalem will be included in the UK’s new measures targeting illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to government sources speaking to the UK-based news site, Middle East Eye.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 497, Israel’s Golan Heights Law, which effectively annexes the territory, is declared “null and void and has no international legal effect.”

The resolution also urges Israel to rescind its actions, as the UN recognises East Jerusalem as occupied territory.

Earlier this week, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a series of measures, including a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements and sanctions against companies and individuals facilitating the expansion of these settlements.

The measures also include additional sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended the government’s sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, stating that the risk of the collapse of a two-state solution “should be a concern for us all.”