Labour Friends of Israel defends trade with illegal West Bank settlements

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is said to be considering a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in line with an International Court of Justice ruling which the UK has so far ignored (Image: PA)

THE Labour Friends of Israel lobby group has urged the UK Government not to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

In a briefing paper published on its website, the Labour organisation argued that a prohibition on trade with illegal settlements in the West Bank would amount to a “de facto boycott of Israel” as a whole, which it suggests would be “antisemitic”.