Britain's settlement trade ban is cosmetic. For it to work, it must sanction Israel

Ed Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, this week announced plans for a ban on trade and services with Israel ’s illegal Jewish settlements, in a move the government has hyped as a “comprehensive reset” of relations with Israel. The UK was joined by 11 other western states unveiling or proposing similar sanctions: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. They presumably hope it will look like they are amassing strength through numbers, upping the pressure on Israel to end the occupation and clear the way for Palestinian statehood.