Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates welcomed Britain's ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Their joint statement urged other states to take comparable steps. Britain's government defended the ban in parliament as Israel narrowed channels of contact.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates welcomed Britain's decision to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and restrict services connected to those settlements. Their joint statement, dated 9 September, called on other states to adopt comparable measures.[1], [2]
The ministers also endorsed a statement by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom setting out an intention to impose national or European trade restrictions. The eight states restated their support for an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.[1]
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the ban in parliament. Fortune reported that Israel closed the British consulate in East Jerusalem, barred 11 lawmakers from entry, removed British representatives from a Gaza ceasefire monitoring centre and ended British training for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank. France and Canada also announced similar trade measures. Those steps gave the diplomatic backing for the ban a concrete consequence in bilateral relations.[2]
