MPs told only goods originating from within Israel covered by a new free trade agreement

ONLY goods originating from within the state of Israel will be covered by an upgraded free trade agreement signed with the UK, a government minister has confirmed.

Pressed by MPs in the Commons on how the UK government would ensure that goods and services produced at illegal settlements in the West Bank would be excluded from the benefits of a new deal with this country, minister Nigel Huddleston said:”The UK position on settlements is clear, they are illegal under international law and present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution as set out in the United Nations Security Council resolution 2334.”

In relation to the free trade agreement currently being negotiated with Israel, he added:”I should be very clear, only goods originating from the state of Israel are covered by our FTA and this will not change in our upgraded FTA.” 

The SNP MP Alan Brown had urged the government to confirm how it would “ensure goods and services from these illegal settlements on effectively stolen land are going to be excluded” from the new deal.

Huddleston, the MP for mid Worcestershire and a business and trade minister,  also stated that under the existing agreement with Israel, goods from the Jewish state receive tariff preferences under the UK/Israel partnership agreement,  while Palestinian goods from the occupied territories benefit from the interim UK/Palestinian Authority bilateral agreement.

Labour MP Andy MacDonald also raised comments made by Israeli national security minister Ben-Gvir last week, who called for the further settlement of land,and a military operation to be launched in the West Bank.

“He then spoke of demolitions and the killing of thousands of Palestinians ‘in order to fulfil our great mission'”, the MP noted, during Thursday’s business and trade questions session.

MacDonald urged the minister to “condemn those genocidal remarks” as well as making sure the FTA “bans UK trade with these illegal settlements.”

The minister stressed that the UK is “a leading advocate of human rights around the world and we have very frank conversations with our allies.”  Huddleston restated the terms of the upgraded FTA.

Labour’s Nadia Whittome raised concern that the new deal could be signed without a tariff clause defining the border between Israel and Palestine, which she said “will be seen in legal terms as equivalent to letting Israel decide by default to include its settlements in the Palestinian territories as part of Israel.”

Huddleston said he would “reiterate” that “it is long-standing UK foreign policy that Israeli settlements beyond the 1967 boundaries are illegal.” 

In March trade secretary Kemi Badenoch said”“An agreement with Israel will build on an already strong trading relationship, worth £7 billion in 2022. We agreed to speak again ahead of the next negotiation round later this year.”