British Jewish organisation Yachad has issued a statement strongly supporting the UK government's announcement on 8 September 2026 that it will ban trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and expand sanctions to those responsible for deepening and entrenching the occupation.
An important and necessary development
Yachad described the measures as “an important and necessary development” that should be backed by anyone who supports the rights of the roughly seven million Israelis and seven million Palestinians to live with freedom, dignity and security. The organisation stressed that the policies target the occupation rather than Israel itself.
“These new policies do not target Israel; they target the occupation,” the statement said. “They draw a clear distinction between the legitimacy of the State of Israel and the settlement enterprise which is illegal under international law. Distinguishing settlements from Israel proper is not a judgement on where a border will ultimately fall, it's a recognition that unilateral facts on the ground should not be allowed to decide that question in advance.”
Response to settlement expansion and ministerial statements
Yachad framed the UK decision as a response to years of settlement expansion, escalating settler violence and statements by senior Israeli ministers that have made explicit the aim of preventing Palestinian sovereignty. It cited remarks by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the E1 settlement plan “finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's assertion that “no Palestinian state will be established,” and Defence Minister Israel Katz's recent comments about transferring Gaza's civilian population through what he called “voluntary migration.”
The group noted that the UK is acting in concert with France and Canada, which announced similar trade bans on the same day. It argued that continuous policy shifts in Israel over many years have sought to make the occupation permanent, and that allies must adjust their response accordingly.
Security concerns and the failure of occupation
While acknowledging Israel's serious and legitimate security concerns – rooted in terrorism, threats to its existence and the trauma of the 7 October 2023 attacks – Yachad said the occupation has never delivered security. Instead, it has entrenched instability, fuelled resentment and pushed a negotiated resolution further out of reach. The settlement enterprise, the statement continued, has dispossessed Palestinians of land, often through extreme violence, and created a system that denies basic freedoms and rights while eroding fundamental Jewish values of justice and human dignity.
Not anti-israel or antisemitic
Yachad emphasised that the announcement is not anti-Israel, antisemitic or a boycott of Israel or Israelis. “It draws a clear line between sovereign Israel and the occupation. This is a distinction the UK and its closest allies have long upheld,” the organisation said. It recognised that views within the British Jewish community differ and that some will be concerned about the impact on UK-Israel relations, while others support robust action against the occupation.
A step toward political resolution
The measures, Yachad concluded, are a significant step on a pathway toward a political resolution that can guarantee security and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians. The group committed to working with the UK government and regional partners to support that goal, noting that the last three years have shown how insecure, dangerous and violent the status quo remains.