Bond reacts to Ed Miliband's ban on trade with illegal settlements in the West Bank

Today, 8 September 2026, UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, made a statement to the House of Commons on Israel and Palestine, announcing that the official view of the British Government is that the occupation is unlawful and initiates a complete trade ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, said:

Today’s announcement marks a welcome and significant shift in the UK’s approach to the occupied Palestinian territories, and one that finally brings government policy closer to what international law requires. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, a position confirmed by the International Court of Justice, and it is right that the UK is no longer treating trade with them as business as usual.

Yet while this ban is much needed, the government needs to address the scale of the crisis facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank today. Humanitarian access remains obstructed, civilians continue to bear the cost of settler violence and military operations, and UK-based organisations working on the ground need to see this policy shift matched by sustained pressure on humanitarian access, protection of civilians, and accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.

Many of our members and local partner organisations are working in the region and are ready to work with the UK government on what a genuinely comprehensive reset of UK policy towards Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories should look like, one that puts humanitarian principles and international law at its centre.

Notes to editors:

Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 330 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
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