A significant majority of British adults support the UK government’s ban on imported goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a YouGov survey has revealed.
The survey came on Wednesday, the day after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced plans to slap sanctions on Israeli goods produced on settler-populated Palestinian land because of the illegal nature of the settlements.
This is the first time the British government has aligned with a 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice deeming the occupation unlawful.
More than half – 52% – of 4,506 people polled approved of the ban, giving credence to an assumption Miliband made in his statement: “I do not believe that the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets,” he had ventured.
A breakdown showed 33% “completely” approved of the crackdown on illegal Israeli goods appearing on UK supermarket shelves, and a further 19% “somewhat” approved.
10% of adults polled indicated they “completely” disapproved with the move, while 7% “somewhat” disapproved with the legislation, forecast to be in place within six to nine months.
Around a third of respondents – 31% – said they did not know how they felt.
When results were distilled by political affiliation, YouGov found Green party supporters to overwhelmingly favour the ban.
Labour party supporters also responded positively to the legislation, which has proved a dramatic shift in the party’s approach to the Israeli-Palestine conflict
Conservative party supporters marginally leaned toward approval of the ban. Only Reform supporters strongly disapproved.
UK money has long facilitated Israeli settler violence on Palestinian land. Last month, an Al Jazeera investigation discovered that 17 companies linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank held public-sector contracts worth more than £2.1bn, putting the UK at risk of breaching its international obligations.
Once actioned, the sanctions laid out by Miliband this week will also target companies offering services that aid settlement expansion in construction, infrastructure, financing and real estate.
From Novara Media via This RSS Feed.