Jakarta. Indonesia and several other Arab states are pleased with the UK’s import ban on Israel’s West Bank settlements amid fresh trade restrictions on these occupied territories.

Foreign ministers of Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates recently inked a statement in response to London’s trade curbs. These Muslim countries have repeatedly teamed up to call out Israeli actions.

“[The ministers] welcome the UK government’s decision to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory,” the statement reads.

London intends to bar companies from providing services — including financing and construction — for the settlement expansion, a plan that Jakarta and the aforementioned Arab nations approve. They hope other countries will follow in London’s footsteps.

Jakarta and the others also welcome that Canada and France are looking to introduce similar bans. Other European nations such as Ireland, Poland, and Portugal have said they would back or consider the restrictions. 

In a recent parliamentary meeting, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband named the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” as the rationale behind the ban.

The restrictions exempt goods and services from Israel itself. Miliband told the House of Commons that London would keep supporting “important” trade with “green line Israel” as part of its push for the two-state solution.

The UK government reported that trade in goods and services with Israel totaled around 6 billion pounds (around $8 billion) in 2025. Israel has announced the closure of the British consulate in the occupied East Jerusalem following the sanctions. 

The two-state solution is the widely promoted proposed approach that sees Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace.

Indonesia is a long-standing advocate of the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution.

The world’s largest Muslim-majority country doesn’t have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Its own Trade Ministry data, however, showed that Indonesia was still doing business with Israel. Trade went up almost 5% year-on-year to $173.5 million in January-July 2026. At home, many Indonesians have gone on boycotts against Israel-linked goods.

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