McEntee said she would continue to push for the EU to prohibit trade with settlements
France and Canada are among a number of nations that will join the UK in imposing new trade sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
A joint statement released this afternoon by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK said UK prime minister Andy Burnham, French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney “have agreed on the need to take action to prevent further damage”.
It added that the 12 governments “confirm 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”.
In a statement on X, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said she welcomed the fact that “more and more countries are committing to taking action on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory…adding to the measures already taken by Ireland and Spain.”
McEntee said she would continue to push for the EU to prohibit trade with settlements “in line with its obligations under international law”, adding that Ireland was working with international partners “to protect the two‑State solution, which is the only realistic path to a peaceful settlement”.
It comes after the UK’s foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, accused Israel of “turning a blind eye” to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in the West Bank as he vowed the UK government would bring in a ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.
Miliband set out a “reset” of the UK’s relations with Israel in a Commons statement as part of a toughened stance under Andy Burnham’s government.
He told MPs the “unimaginable trauma and suffering” in Gaza was “a stain on the conscience of the world and of this country too”.
However, Britain is facing a backlash from the US and Israel over the new plans for sanctions.
The British prime minister discussed the Middle East with US president Donald Trump in a phone call on Monday ahead of the intervention, which risks drawing criticism from Washington, Israel’s closest ally.
A Downing Street readout said Mr Burnham had set out “the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region” and stressed the importance of the two-state solution, but made no mention of how the president responded.
The prospect of the move has already prompted suggestions of retaliation from US and Israeli figures.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called it an “irrational action”.
“I feel like it’s discrimination against the Israeli government. It’s a discrimination against the Jewish people,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.
He added: “I also would tell you that I don’t know if they have thought it through. It’s like throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land.
“And I realise, look, the UK is a sovereign country; they can do what they want, but so is the US.”