UK pledges tougher stance on Israeli actions in Gaza, West Bank

British foreign minister vows to ‘match words with action’ when it comes to defending Palestinian rights.The United Kingdom’s government is set to take a tougher stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, the foreign minister has stated.Addressing the Labour Party conference, Foreign Minister Ed Miliband called the Israeli government’s actions in the Palestinian territories “a stain on the conscience of the world”, and pledged new sanctions.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israel revokes Dutch diplomats’ status over sanctions on settlementslist 2 of 3Ben-Gvir releases video threatening to kill senior Hamas figure in jaillist 3 of 3UK Foreign Secretary confronted by activists over Palestine-action" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="73" data-entity-type="organization">Palestine Action banend of list“I want to say to the millions of people in this country, and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, ‘We hear you. You were right.'” Miliband said.“We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, and we match word with action,” he added before listing measures targeting economic links with Israeli settlements.These included banning the import of goods from illegal settlements and disrupting the supply lines for British finance, British construction, and British services towards illegal settlements.Miliband said that the ruling party has “reset its approach” under the leadership of Prime Minister Andy Burnham.However, the government has been criticised for continued links to the Israeli government and for its treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.Dozens were arrested outside the conference in the northwestern city of Liverpool as they rallied in support of the banned Palestine-action" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="73" data-entity-type="organization">Palestine Action group.Miliband, who is Jewish, also warned against efforts to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state, saying Labour would oppose moves that threaten the two-state solution.