Miliband pledges to introduce ‘reset’ of policy on Israel ‘in coming weeks’

Ed Miliband has pledged to introduce a “comprehensive reset” of UK policy on Israel “in the coming weeks”.

Speaking from the despatch box as Foreign Secretary for the first time, Mr Miliband said the Government is looking at how to stop British companies “financing, constructing or advertising new settlements” in the West Bank.

It comes after Israel issued tenders for the E1 settlement, which the UK Government has condemned as “illegal under international law”.

Mr Miliband branded it “the crossing of a red line, as it cuts through the heart of the West Bank and risks making a Palestinian state unviable”.

He said: “This Government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution. We will act, and I will set out a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks.”

The Foreign Secretary told MPs: “We need a comprehensive reset of our policy across the piece.

“Many members of the House on both sides have made very, very important points, not just about trade, but a whole set of issues, including around the ICJ (International Court of Justice) judgment on legality.

“I want a comprehensive reset of our approach on these issues because it is necessary, it is high time.”

He added that MPs will not have to “wait long”.

Mr Miliband said: “We need to look, and we are looking indeed, at our wider economic relationship with the occupied territories and the different tools we have to tackle it.

“I want to be very clear: we do not want British companies financing, constructing, or advertising new settlements.

“The work we are now undertaking is how we can stop that. And as I say, I’ll have more to say soon.”

It came as Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty indicated this the policy reset could include a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Mr Doughty said: “We have absolutely condemned the settler violence, the settler terrorism that we have seen, absolutely our condemnation of the proposals for E1 and all illegal settlements, and indeed we have joined other countries around the world in condemning this proposal and been very very clear with the government of Israel that this must stop.

“The Prime Minister has been very clear that we need to do more, including looking at further sanctions, both those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.

“We’ve been very clear that British companies should not be financing, constructing, or advertising new settlements.”