As the UK sanctions Israeli settlements, is the two-state solution dead?
Analysts say UK move far from enough to drive momentum for Palestinian statehood.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said the United Kingdom will sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as “overdue” and necessary to “salvage” a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He made the comments on Tuesday as 11 nations joined the UK in supporting or considering curbs on trade in goods with settlements that are a barrier to a future Palestinian state.
But analysts say the step is far from enough to drive momentum for Palestinian statehood, threatened by ever-expanding settlements in the West Bank and an increasingly hostile Israeli political environment.
Palestinian citizens of Israel make up approximately 21 percent of Israel’s overall population but are treated as second- or third-class citizens at the institutional level. According to rights groups, several dozen Israeli laws actively discriminate against Palestinian citizens across a number of issues, including education and housing.