Andy Burnham says sanctions are "not at the Israeli people" about settlement measures

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government has imposed sanctions and trade restrictions tied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, drawing criticism from Israel and the United States. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that the entire West Bank occupation is unlawful, accused Israeli authorities of tolerating settler violence and forced Palestinian displacement, and cited growing indications of possible war crimes in Gaza. Burnham presented the measures as a careful effort to safeguard a future in which Israelis and Palestinians live as separate states, not as collective punishment. Israel responded by closing Britain’s consulate in Jerusalem and barring several British politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, from entering. France and Canada announced similar settlement-goods restrictions.