British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended his government’s new measures against Israeli settlement activity, saying Britain waited too long to act over concerns that criticism of the Israeli government could be portrayed as anti-Israel.

Burnham said the measures announced by London are directed not at Israeli citizens, but at what he described as the “unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government.” He argued that Britain must take meaningful action as settlement expansion and the continuing devastation in Gaza threaten the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

“For far too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel,” Burnham said, stressing that Britain could no longer remain silent in the face of developments that are undermining the possibility of a two-state solution.

The British government has announced measures including a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as sanctions targeting individuals and companies involved in supporting, facilitating or profiting from settlement activity. London has also moved to restrict the promotion of settlement properties and land.

‘The suffering of Palestinians is a scar on the conscience of the world’

Burnham highlighted the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying the suffering of Palestinians has become a profound moral issue for the international community.

“The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world,” he said, pointing to the continued killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, and the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the lack of sufficient aid entering Gaza.

His comments came as Britain increasingly focused its criticism on Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The UK government has argued that the expansion of settlements, along with settler violence against Palestinians, is destroying the territorial basis needed for an independent Palestinian state.

Settlement expansion threatens Palestinian statehood

London’s latest measures reflect growing concern that the expansion of Israeli settlements is making a contiguous and viable Palestinian state increasingly difficult to establish.

The British government has described the occupation and settlement activity as obstacles to peace, while insisting that its measures are intended to support a two-state solution rather than target Israeli society as a whole.

Burnham also stressed that Britain continues to condemn the October 7 attack and Hamas, while drawing a clear distinction between criticism of the Israeli government and hostility toward Jewish people.

He warned that holding British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government would constitute antisemitism, emphasizing that opposition to government policies must not be turned into hostility toward an entire community.

Britain signals a tougher approach

The measures mark a significant shift in Britain’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with London increasingly willing to use economic and diplomatic pressure over settlement expansion and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

For Palestinians, the British government’s latest position represents a recognition that continued settlement expansion and the devastation in Gaza cannot be separated from the prospects for a just and lasting political settlement.

Burnham said Britain would continue to act in accordance with its stated values and work to preserve the possibility of Palestinians and Israelis living side by side in peace and security. (ILKHA)