Amman, Sept 9 (Petra) – Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Secretary-General Abdullah Kanaan said on Wednesday that Britain's ban on imports from Israeli settlements is a welcome model for international diplomacy in support of the Palestinians' right to stetehood.

He was commenting on the ban announced by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on imports of goods produced in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as part of wider measures against settlement expansion.

In a speech to Parliament, Miliband accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and reaffirmed the UK’s longstanding position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are unlawful.

"This decision came in a statement issued by 12 European nations, most of which have recognized a Palestinian state, in which they underscored a commitment to the two-state solution and rejection of the dangerous escalation of settler attacks on Palestinian towns, cities, and villages, amidst Israeli government support for schemes of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and displacement against Palestinians," Kanaan told Petra in an interview.

The committee saw the UK stance as "a significant shift in the trajectory of British diplomacy, which has historically, since the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, and the Mandate era, been unfairly biased toward Israel." "This historic position reflects a growing global discontent and outrage regarding Israel's aggressive policies and genocidal plans against the oppressed Palestinian people," said Kanaan.

The statement by Western nations, he said, would reinforce international legitimacy against the "law of the jungle" practiced by Israel and its far-right government, which views peace achieved through force and war as the path to security and stability.

Kanaan commended international stances that uphold international legitimacy resolutions of the United Nations and affiliated organizations, all of which have affirmed the rights of the Palestinian people and called for their protection.

"Amidst today’s crises, conflicts, and raging wars, the world has come to realize that resolving the Palestinian issue is essential for consolidating global peace and security, as it holds the key to war and peace," he said.

Kanaan said the British and European stance, which pressures Israel to adhere to international legitimacy and law, aligns with Jordan’s diplomacy and its commitment to international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, including the 2016 Security Council Resolution 2334, which considers settlements illegal and Israeli measures in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, null and void.

He said Jordanian diplomacy, rooted in the Kingdom’s sacrifices and the Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, continues to champion and support the rights of the Palestinian people.

//Petra//SS