UK condemns ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Palestinians, backs Israel probe
The United Kingdom on Tuesday drew attention to developments across Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, declaring that “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians is taking place.
The British government, according to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, “agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank — perpetrated by settler terrorists.”
Speaking at the House of Commons, Miliband deplored the trauma and suffering in Gaza, calling the death and devastation “a stain on the conscience of the world.”
Over 70,000 people have been killed since October 2023, with the vast majority of the population — nearly two million people — crammed into just one-third of the territory.
Miliband decried the destruction of homes and hospitals, as well as the blockage of humanitarian aid and denial of entry, blaming the “avoidable humanitarian catastrophe” on Israel’s decisions.
He said that, apart from the over 1,200 Palestinians killed since the 2025 ceasefire, children die while waiting for medical treatment, while people live next to open sewage and without shelter.
The Foreign Secretary cited international humanitarian law, which stipulates the protection of civilians and access to food and medical supplies during war.
Miliband said evaluations of IDF actions by organisations, including the UN Commission of Inquiry, revealed “increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed.”
On the question of genocide, the diplomat reiterated that London has always supported robust, full and fair judicial processes before reaching a conclusion.
“This issue (Gaza) has been brought before the ICJ,” Miliband noted. “I want to make it clear that we support the Court in coming to its determination.”
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The leaders warned that systematic settlement expansion in the West Bank, including Israel’s construction in the E1 settlement, and the increase in settler violence pose an urgent threat.
“Settlements are illegal under international law. The time has come to take further action to protect the two-state solution, our interests, and to stand up for our values.”
The UK, France and Canada are set to ban the importation of goods from West Bank settlements, imposing measures against the communities, their facilitators and profiteers.