India, Sept. 8 -- The legal argument was settled long ago. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank violate international law, and Britain has said so repeatedly for decades. What changed on Tuesday was that the United Kingdom decided to act on that judgment.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced in the House of Commons a comprehensive ban on imports from Israeli settlements, a suspension of every outstanding arms licence to Israel, and a formal declaration that Israel's occupation of the West Bank is illegal under international law. Miliband told parliament that settlements were "illegal" and that Britain was "treating them as such." Twelve nations signed a joint statement alongside the announcement, calling settlement expansion...