UK Government Awards Millions in Contracts to Firms Linked to West Bank Settlements
New contracts totaling over £10 million have been granted to companies on the UN list, raising questions about the timing and scope of upcoming British sanctions.
By Larissa Bell ·
The British government has issued public contracts worth approximately £10.7 million to firms with connections to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. These awards were revealed following an investigation by Al Jazeera, which noted that the deals were published after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a comprehensive sanctions package in parliament on September 8.
During his announcement, Miliband stated that those who finance or facilitate the settlements would face the full force of UK sanctions. He emphasized that the settlements are illegal. However, government sources indicate that the sanctions have not yet entered into force and that the implementation process could take up to nine months.
In the interim, the government has continued to award deals to companies listed by the United Nations as engaging in settlement-related activities. Two contracts worth about £87,900 were given to Motorola Solutions and its subsidiaries for police communications. Israel has reportedly used Motorola technology for security and surveillance infrastructure in the West Bank.
A significant portion of the spending involves construction projects. Three subsidiaries of Heidelberg Materials were named in 14 contracts totaling £10.4 million for roadworks and resurfacing in England. The company’s Israeli subsidiary, Hanson Israel, owns the Nahal Raba quarry in the West Bank, which is located on land belonging to Palestinian villages.
Other recent awards include an £84,000 contract to Thomas & Adamson International Limited, a subsidiary of the French engineering group Egis. The UN lists Egis for providing services that support the maintenance of settlements, although the company has formally expressed its disagreement with this inclusion in the database. Additionally, Breas Medical, owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, received a £98,000 contract. Fosun International is also included on the UN list.
Senior UK government figures have privately told Middle East Eye that they intend to implement comprehensive sanctions, including against companies providing construction and real estate services for settlement expansion. This plan remains in place even if Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer the prime minister of Israel.
Despite this determination, multiple government and Labour sources have accused some civil servants of creating blockages and attempting to weaken the sanctions. Within the Foreign Office, some officials have argued that the measures should target Israeli companies complicit in the settlements but exclude British companies with similar ties.
There is also debate over how to define the scope of the sanctions. Some officials have suggested that companies operating mostly within Israel itself, as well as in the occupied Palestinian territory, should not be impacted. This approach would restrict the focus to companies operating primarily in illegal settlements, potentially watering down the regime announced by Miliband.
Miliband is understood to be determined that the sanctions should not be diluted. If implemented fully, the new regime would require British banks, pension funds, and asset managers to divest from companies operating in settlements. It would also prevent financial institutions from providing mortgages, insurance, and other services that support settlement activity.
The Cabinet Office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the recent contract awards and the ongoing discussions about the scope of the sanctions package.
