The key question about the UK’s decision to ban trade in goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is whether – and how – such a ban can be enforced. To answer this question, it’s worth looking at how such sanctions are already enforced in similar situations.

Blood diamonds, the precious stones whose proceeds are used to finance war, are often cited as an example of the way countries can avoid trading in commodities that can contribute to harm. But the goods and services involved in the sanctions on West Bank settlements are far less valuable.

Exports include agricultural products like dates and olives, supporting – according UK foreign secretary to Ed Miliband – settler terrorism and ethnic cleansing. While blood olives might not have the same ring to it, enforcement challenges are similar to those with blood diamonds.

The announced sanctions have been widely reported as impossible to implement. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has previously expressed “reasonable concern” that the enforceability of sanctions would be undermined because distinctions between the internationally recognised area of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are not applied consistently. The FCDO also expressed concerns about over-compliance with sanctions and unintended consequences.

The sanctions build on existing law. The FCDO strongly advises “against conducting any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements”. Since 2005, products produced in Israeli settlements located within the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment upon entry into the........

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