Top UK Labour official calls for settlement ban if Israel annexes West Bank

Shadow Foreign Secretary urges government for 'concrete action' in response to Israel's push to claim sovereignty over settlements, Jordan Valley, saying the move would require courage ministers have not shown so far

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The shadow foreign secretary for Britain's Labour Party Lisa Nandy has called for a ban on settlements goods if Israel goes through with annexation of parts of the West Bank.
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  • The former Labor Party leadership candidate called on the government for "concrete action" in response to Israel's annexation plans, calling the situation "urgent."
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    Lisa Nandy
    Lisa Nandy
    Lisa Nandy
    (Photo: MCT)
    "The government must be clear with the Israeli coalition government [so that it know]) that concrete action will follow, including a ban on products entering Britain from illegal locations in the West Bank," she said.
    Nandy said in an interview in the Observer newspaper that the move would be a “major step” and require “courage that so far ministers have not been willing to show."
    The frontbencher is the head of Labour Friends of Palestine and won the support of the Jewish Labour Movement in the party's leadership race earlier this year.
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    בנימין נתניהו בטקס נטיעת עץ לרגל חג ט"ו בשבט בבקעת הירדן
    בנימין נתניהו בטקס נטיעת עץ לרגל חג ט"ו בשבט בבקעת הירדן
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Jordan Valley
    (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is free to pursue his party's annexation goals starting July 1, according to a coalition agreement signed by the country's two biggest parties in March.
    "The proposal to unilaterally annex nearly a third of the West Bank is an illegal act, which would undermine the prospect of a peaceful two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and would have serious consequences for the stability of the Middle East," Nandy said.
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    פגישת בנימין נתניהו ובוריס ג'ונסון בלונדון
    פגישת בנימין נתניהו ובוריס ג'ונסון בלונדון
    Boris Johnson and Benjamin Netanyahu meeting in London
    (Photo: AFP)
    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in Parliament earlier this month that the UK government “strongly objected” to the plan and restated support for the two-state solution.
    Earlier this week, Belgian lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution calling for Brussels to apply economic sanctions against Israel if it goes through with its annexation plans while urging all member-states of the European Union to do the same.
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