Prime Minister Andy Burnham preparing to ban trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, as part of campaign to pressure Israel to drop plans to build in E1 corridor.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsBritish Prime Minister Andy Burnham is preparing to impose a sweeping ban on trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, according to British media reports, as his government moves toward tougher measures against Israel over the E1 housing project east of Jerusalem.The Telegraph reported Wednesday that Burnham is considering a complete trade embargo covering Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, and could announce the policy “within weeks.”The Times separately reported that the prime minister is preparing “robust” new sanctions and could also target Israeli officials and individual residents of Judea and Samaria.The proposed measures would mark a significant escalation in Britain’s economic pressure on Israel and would go beyond sanctions already imposed against individuals and organizations accused of involvement in alleged acts of “settler violence.”Burnham had signaled even before entering Downing Street that he was considering restrictions on settlement trade.“We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government,” Burnham said in July, calling for additional sanctions and saying Britain should examine “measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.”The immediate catalyst for the latest move is Israel’s publication last week of construction tenders for the E1 development between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.Britain and a group of other Western governments argue that construction in E1 would sever important territorial links between Palestinian population centers in Judea and Samaria and make the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state increasingly difficult.Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called publication of the tender an “unacceptable and destructive act” and demanded that Israel halt the project and withdraw it.“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution,” Miliband said, promising that London would unveil a broader package of measures “in the coming weeks.”The UK also summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires over the decision.Burnham subsequently joined the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and numerous other countries in calling on Israel to withdraw the E1 plans, warning that the project would “undermine the prospect of the two-state solution.”Israel has rejected the British criticism.Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Miliband of adopting a “patronizing” approach and said Israel would not accept London’s position on Jewish communities beyond the Green Line.“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel,” Sa’ar said, comparing that right to that of British citizens to live anywhere in the United Kingdom. He accused London of pursuing a policy that damages bilateral relations and contributes to hostility toward British Jews.The proposed trade embargo is also generating opposition within Burnham’s own Labour Party.Labour Friends of Israel has warned that distinguishing settlement commerce from trade with Israel itself could prove considerably more difficult in practice than proponents of a ban suggest.In a policy paper published in July, the organization argued that “a boycott of all trade with settlements is practically and politically impossible,” pointing to Israeli companies that operate both inside Israel and in communities across the Green Line.“A settlement boycott would thus become a de facto boycott of all of Israel,” the group warned.LFI said financial institutions and companies could respond to the new restrictions by avoiding Israeli businesses altogether rather than determining whether particular transactions were connected to settlements.The group also argued that Palestinian workers employed by businesses in and around major settlement blocs could suffer economic consequences from a blanket embargo.British officials have acknowledged the practical difficulty.Trade Minister Chris Bryant told Parliament last month that goods move relatively freely between Israel and settlements, complicating efforts to determine their precise origin. Nevertheless, he said the government believed the problem could be addressed.“We need to stop UK businesses providing economic support and legitimacy to illegal settlements,” Bryant said.At the same time, he stressed that the government wanted to protect Britain’s wider commercial relationship with Israel and avoid unintended effects on sectors such as pharmaceuticals.“That is one of the tricks we have to pull off,” he said.The issue could also create friction between London and Washington.The Trump administration warned in July that it “firmly opposes” efforts to economically isolate Israel after Burnham first raised the possibility of a settlement embargo.A US State Department spokesman said measures targeting Israeli trade could “subvert US interests” and “undermine the prospects for peace.”Pressure inside Labour is pushing Burnham in the opposite direction.More than 140 Labour MPs reportedly support restrictions on settlement trade, while more than 100 former British and French diplomats recently urged Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron to prohibit commerce connected to Israeli settlements.The post Britain to impose sweeping ban on goods from Israeli towns in Judea & Samaria – report appeared first on World Israel News.