Addressing the Situation in Palestine

The situation in Palestine is a moral emergency.

What the Netanyahu government is doing in Gaza is a stain on the

conscience of the

world, and there is increasing evidence war

crimes appear to have been committed,

and we're witnessing unprecedented settler terrorism in the West Bank.

The British government has come to the same conclusion as the former prime

minister

of Israel and others, that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in

areas of

the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.

And too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind

eye to this.

And worse, members of it have made statements

and taken actions to

support the forced displacement of Palestinians.

We will not stand by. We're going to be stronger in standing up

for what

is right and bolder in the action we take.

Our North Star is our belief in the two-state solution, that both the

Israeli and Palestinian people have a right to

self-determination, freedom, and security.

Today, we're calling out the occupation of

Palestine as unlawful.

We're banning the import of goods from illegal settlements.

We're taking action on services to target those who finance,

facilitate, or construct new settlements,

and we're banning advertising of settlement properties and land.

We're taking action, too, on settler terrorism.

The action we're taking today is against the government of Israel,

not its people. I know the trauma that Hamas's

terrorist atrocity of October the 7th has caused for the people of

Israel and Jews across the world.

It was a murderous act by a murderous terrorist organization.

Israel faces existential threats to its security, most severely from

Iran. That's why we're today also announcing the

reimposition

of major economic sanctions on Iran, as well as bearing down on its

network of proxy groups like Hezbollah.

I also know that so many members of the Jewish community live in fear in the face

of rising antisemitism here in the UK.

Antisemitism is a scourge and an evil, and we

will do more to tackle it as a government.

And I also say this,

holding British Jews responsible for the actions of the

government of Israel is antisemitism,

pure and simple.

I'm proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the

security of the State of Israel,

and I see absolutely no contradiction between this

and my support for the State of Palestine.

Indeed, quite the opposite. The only route to security for both

peoples is living side by side in peaceful coexistence in a

two-state solution. That's why we're taking action today.

My parents came here as Jewish refugees.

They saw a country that stood up for values of freedom,

democracy,

and the rule of law.

That's what we're doing today,

standing up for our values, standing up against oppression

and injustice,

standing up for what is right.