Labour Friends of Israel defends major West Bank settlement blocs

Labour Friends of Israel defends major West Bank settlement blocs The Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lobby group has published a report apparently justifying some illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and urging the British government not to ban goods produced by them. This comes as Andy Burnham's Labour government is believed to be considering imposing a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, which according to British policy are all in occupied Palestinian territory. LFI is a group within the Labour Party which is believed to count more than 70 MPs as affiliates, although it no longer keeps a public list. The group published a policy briefing report late last week titled "Settlements and Solutions: A Guide to the Issues". The report, reviewed by Middle East Eye, argues against a ban on Israeli settlement goods. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the major blocs, are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice also ruled in a 2024 advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is itself illegal and places obligations on countries to take measures to end the occupation. A picture taken from the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron shows the Israeli Gush Etzion settlement bloc on 5 March 2017 (AFP)