International Glance
Shortly before taking office, Andy Burnham, the new prime minister, apologised for our party’s initial response to Israel's war on Gaza, saying we got it wrong.
He was right to apologise, but in the face of overwhelming evidence of Israel’s genocide and war crimes, and the UK’s long complicity, it is far from enough.
Today, the foreign secretary has announced a sanctions regime banning trade with Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, a step that I and more than 140 Labour MPs have called for.
This is welcome and long overdue, not just because it puts pressure on the Israeli government, nor simply because it is what is required of us under international law, but also because it is only fair given the UK’s role in creating a situation where Palestinians are systematically denied their fundamental rights and subjected to the most violent repression by Israel.
Banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements is a start, but Labour must not stop there
Sanctions on Israeli settlements: Here’s what Europe is saying and doing
Relations between Israel and European states have deteriorated after the UK led moves on Tuesday to impose sanctions against Israeli settlements.
In London, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, using some of the harshest language by a government minister about Israel, said that the decision came amid the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists”.
In Paris, meanwhile, his opposite number Jean-Noel Barrot announced similar measures, saying that “France cannot, through its trade, support a situation that threatens the security of Israelis and Palestinians alike”.
In a joint statement, they, along with the foreign ministers of Spain, Ireland Norway and others, confirmed their intention to “introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures”.
Several countries, notably Sweden, Denmark and Finland, later stated that they would only impose sanctions as part of joint EU action rather than unilaterally, according to Israeli media reports.
Several European countries previously issued sanctions following a 2024 ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the settlements were illegal under international law.
The moves come amid deadlock in the EU over proposals to introduce an EU-wide ban on settlement goods, with key states such as Germany and Italy stalling.
France and Canada join UK in announcing sanctions on Israeli settlements
France and Canada have followed the United Kingdom in announcing a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Miliband said that France and Canada would impose a ban on the trade of goods and some services from Israeli settlements, after the three nations joined a group of 11 countries to condemn the Israeli government's actions in the occupied West Bank.
Miliband said the UK would take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services such as construction, infrastructure, financing, or real estate for settlement expansion.
The UK will "act in concert with others in a broad international coalition," he said.
Miliband also told the Commons that the UK had recognised the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, declared the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and announced both comprehensive sanctions on Israeli settlements and a ban on all arms licences and other exports that "materially contribute to the occupation."
UK recognises 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank, sanctions settlements and declares Israeli occupation illegal
The British government has recognised the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, declared the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and announced both comprehensive sanctions on Israeli settlements and a ban on all arms licences and other exports that "materially contribute to the occupation."
France and Canada will also ban trade in settlement goods today, marking a significant diplomatic victory for the British government.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in parliament on Tuesday afternoon that "the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful because because of Israel's entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements."
This means the UK has accepted the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which said the occupation is unlawful and placed a duty on states to oppose it.
Ukraine Extends Full Tuition Compensation for Veterans' Children
Under a government program extended for another year, children of Ukrainian veterans will have their contract-based tuition fully covered by the state for the 2026-27 academic year.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced the extension of the program on Tuesday, Sept. 8, noting that the compensation applies to students at institutions of professional pre-higher and higher education.
To apply, students The Diia app is a unified digital portal for public services that provides Ukrainian citizens with access to digital documents, such as payrolls, taxes, renewing driver’s licenses and applying for social assistance.
Iceland summons US ambassador after Trump post showing American flag covering island
Iceland’s government called in the U.S. ambassador on Monday after President Trump posted a map showing the Nordic nation blanketed by the American flag.
Trump, who has previously pushed to take over Greenland and Canada, posted an image to Truth Social of the American flag stretching across North America, Greenland, Iceland, Central America and the Caribbean, with the map labeled “United States of America.”Trump did not offer an explanation for the post.
Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Billy Long over the image, according to Icelandic public broadcaster RUV.
The Foreign Ministry told the outlet that officials made clear to Long, a former Missouri lawmaker and IRS commissioner who became ambassador in May, that Trump’s post was “completely inappropriate.”
South Africa accuses Israel of violating ICJ's legally binding provisional measures
South Africa has accused Israel of breaking legally binding orders issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) intended to protect Palestinians in Gaza, while calling on the international community "to take all necessary action to prevent and punish genocide".
In a statement issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Pretoria said that Israel has refused to comply with three separate provisional measure orders issued by the ICJ. This refusal "undermines their protective function and entails further destruction of the Palestinian group", the statement says.
"The Provisional Measures were not only ordered to protect the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention, they also safeguard the administration of justice and the legitimacy of the ICJ itself, by ensuring that the rights the Court is called upon to vindicate are not destroyed before it renders its final decision."
The statement added: "The Court’s orders are binding on Israel, and the international community also has an obligation to protect the Palestinian people from genocide, including to take all necessary action to prevent and punish genocide."
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