UK's global sanctions regime against Israeli settlements comes into effect

The United Kingdom's new global sanctions regime against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank came into effect on Thursday. The enforcement was timed to take effect on 15 October, days before the 19 October deadline for bids in the E1 (East 1) settlement construction tenders in the West Bank. In September, Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the country's strongest package of sanctions against Israel’s illegal settlements, targeting the trade, finance and services that sustain their expansion across the occupied West Bank. In a speech to parliament, Miliband said ethnic cleansing is happening in the occupied West Bank.