The minister, however, stressed that the measure was not intended to amount to a boycott of all Israeli goods because Israel remains an important trading partner for the UK.
The United Kingdom will ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government moves to take tougher action against settlement expansion.
Pensions Minister, Pat McFadden, disclosed the planned measure in an interview with Times Radio, saying Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to announce details of the government’s measures against settlement expansion in Parliament on Tuesday.
McFadden said the decision was driven by the growing settlement activity in recent weeks and months, which he said had made the threat to the establishment of a Palestinian state more urgent.
“The reason that danger has become more urgent is because of expanded settlement activity in recent weeks and months,” McFadden said.
The minister, however, stressed that the measure was not intended to amount to a boycott of all Israeli goods because Israel remains an important trading partner for the UK.
The planned restriction comes after Israel opened bidding in August for 1,234 housing units in the E1 settlement project, which would connect settlements around occupied East Jerusalem with the Maale Adumim settlement bloc in the West Bank.
Palestinians have warned that the development could divide the occupied West Bank and leave Palestinian communities in separate areas surrounded by Israeli settlements.
The British government has also faced pressure from more than 140 Labour lawmakers to impose wider restrictions on trade with Israeli companies operating in the occupied West Bank.
The move comes amid increasing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and growing international opposition to Israeli settlement expansion. The UK joined 21 countries and the European Commission last month in calling on Israel to withdraw its plans for the E1 project.
The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has criticised the proposed trade restriction, describing it as an “irrational action” and saying the UK had the right to make its own decisions.
Israel has also opposed international pressure over settlement expansion, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously saying his government would continue expanding settlements despite criticism from other countries.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank, where about three million Palestinians also live, according to Al Jazeera.
The UK government is expected to provide further details when Miliband addresses Parliament, including how the proposed restrictions would be implemented and which goods would be covered.
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