England - Union Jack
England - Union JackiStock

The UK Liberal Democrats have passed a resolution in favor of a boycott on goods from Judea and Samaria, the Jewish News reported.

The measure, which passed with overwhelming support, calls for “a ban on UK trade with the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.” It was voted on at the party’s annual convention.

The Liberal Democrats, a centre to centre-left liberal political party that from 2010 to 2015 was part of a coalition government with the Conservative Party, held the conference on Monday behind an online paywall.

The resolution stated: "Illegal Israeli settlements represent a de facto annexation of Palestinian territory and that such settlements are a major but not sole factor in making the search for a lasting peace ever more difficult to achieve.”

It called for a new peace process to be brokered by the European Union and the Biden White House, while urging states who have not yet recognized Israel to do so, and expressing regret that the PA had cancelled elections.

It also called for the International Criminal Court to be given the right to investigate “possible international crimes in Israel and Palestine.”

Party delegates also voted in favor of a motion that recognized the two state solution with borders based on the 1967 lines.

Yachad UK, which bills itself as “the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement for British Jews,” praised the passage of the resolution in a statement.

“Well done to the Liberal Democrats for taking a stance against illegal settlements and occupation. This motion isn't an endorsement of BDS, nor is it anti-Israel,” they wrote. “The UK government opposes settlement expansion, which breaches international law and makes Palestinian daily life impossibly difficult.”

The party’s foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran called the motion a “radical new approach to the Israel/Palestine conflict.”

“At the heart of our new policy is increased cooperation, using trade as a tool for peace, and upholding international law and human rights,” Moran tweeted. “We want more trade with Israel and with Palestine, more resources dedicated towards peace – via the creation of a peace fund to foster trust between communities, and also a ban on UK trade with the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.”

She added: “We want more trade with Israel and with Palestine, more resources dedicated towards peace – via the creation of a peace fund to foster trust between communities, and also a ban on UK trade with the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory… I am a firm believer of a two-state solution, but as it proves ever more elusive it is vital that the UK Government takes action and leads the way. A new approach is desperately needed.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)