British officials awarded £10.7 million ($14.4 million) in public contracts to businesses associated with illegal settlements following an announcement of upcoming sanctions by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. The deals progressed because the comprehensive sanctions regime has not yet taken effect and could take up to nine months to implement. The awards included major infrastructure contracts, such as roadworks handled by subsidiaries of Heidelberg Materials, whose Israeli unit owns a quarry on Palestinian land. Internal resistance has also emerged, with sources claiming some civil servants want to exclude certain British or predominantly Israel-based firms from the penalties.
Key points
Proposed sanctions against entities facilitating illegal settlements face an implementati…: Proposed sanctions against entities facilitating illegal settlements face an implementation delay that could last up to nine months.
Internal government discussions involve efforts by some civil servants to weaken the scop…: Internal government discussions involve efforts by some civil servants to weaken the scope of the forthcoming commercial sanctions.
Once fully implemented, the sanctions regime will require British financial institutions,…: Once fully implemented, the sanctions regime will require British financial institutions, pension funds, and asset managers to divest from settlement-linked businesses.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The British government has awarded £10.7m ($14.4m) in public contracts to firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, it has emerged.
The contracts were published after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced comprehensive sanctions on the settlements on 8 September in parliament, according to an Al Jazeera investigation.
"To those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this: you will face the full force of UK sanctions," Miliband said. "Settlements are illegal."
But the sanctions have not yet come into force and implementing them could take up to nine months, according to government sources.
In the meantime, the government has awarded two contracts worth about £87,900 ($118,000) to Motorola Solutions and its subsidiaries to provide communications for the police, Al Jazeera reported.
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Whitehall continues to commit public funds to corporate entities tied to occupied West Bank operations despite high-profile ministerial pledges to penalize settlement enablers. Enforcement of the proposed commercial restrictions faces procedural hold-ups and reported pushback from officials seeking narrower compliance criteria. The lag leaves current procurement channels active while the broader sanctions framework remains stalled.