UK awards deals worth millions to firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements

Sanctions announced by the Burnham government in September have not yet come into force Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets with staff during a visit to a hospital in Watford, Hertfordshire, north-west of London on 9 November 2026 (AFP) Published date: 10 November 2026 12:37 GMT | Last update: 6 sec ago The British government has awarded £10.7m ($14.4m) in public contracts to firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, it has emerged. The contracts were published after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced comprehensive sanctions on the settlements on 8 September in parliament, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. "To those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this: you will face the full force of UK sanctions," Miliband said. "Settlements are illegal." But the sanctions have not yet come into force and implementing them could take up to nine months, according to government sources. In the meantime, the government has awarded two contracts worth about £87,900 ($118,000) to Motorola Solutions and its subsidiaries to provide communications for the police, Al Jazeera reported. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Motorola Solutions is listed by the UN as engaging in settlement-related activities, and Israel has reportedly used Motorola technology in security and surveillance infrastructure in the occupied West Bank. Three Heidelberg Materials subsidiaries were named in 14 contracts worth £10.4m ($14.5m) to carry out roadworks and resurfacing in Enfland. Heidelberg's Israeli subsidiary, Hanson Israel, owns the Nahal Raba quarry in the West Bank, which sits on land belonging to Palestinian villages. Senior UK government figures privately told Middle East Eye last month that even if Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer Israel's prime minister, they intend to implement comprehensive sanctions, including against companies providing construction and real estate services for settlement expansion. But multiple government and Labour sources accused some civil servants of causing “blockages” and attempting to weaken the sanctions. Within the Foreign Office, MEE understands, some officials have been pushing for the sanctions to target Israeli companies complicit in the illegal settlements but not British companies that are complicit. Will sanctions regime be watered down? Officials have also argued that companies that operate mostly within Israel itself, as well as in occupied Palestinian territory, should not be impacted by the sanctions. This would mean a weakening of the sanctions announced by Miliband, restricting their focus to companies that operate mostly in illegal settlements. However, Miliband himself is understood to be determined that the sanctions regime should not be watered down. Exclusive: Miliband set on sanctions regardless of Israel election outcome as officials try to weaken measures Read More » If implemented fully, the new sanctions would require British banks, pension funds and asset managers to divest from companies operating in settlements. They would also stop financial institutions from providing mortgages, insurance and other services that support settlement activity. The British government also recently awarded a £84,000 ($113,000) contract to Thomas & Adamson International Limited, a subsidiary of French engineering group Egis, Al Jazeera reported. The UN lists Egis in connection with the "provision of services and utilities supporting the maintenance and existence of settlements", although Egis has said it "formally expressed its disagreement with this inclusion" in the UN database. The UK has further given a £98,000 ($131,000) contract to Breas Medical, which is owned by Chinese congomerate Fosun International, also included on the UN list. According to Al Jazeera, the Cabinet Office did not respond to a request for comment. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.