Pakistan, Sept. 9 -- Britain on Tuesday moved beyond the ritual condemnations that have accompanied Israeli settlement expansion for decades. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and restrictions on companies involved in settlement construction, financing and real estate. Britain and 11 other countries have announced, supported or are considering further curbs on settlement trade. Miliband also used language rarely heard from a British foreign secretary, accusing settlers of "ethnic cleansing," describing "unprecedented settler terrorism" and calling the occupation unlawful.

For years, Western policy has rested on a contradiction that became impo...