Miliband's ‘brave' settlement trade ban has come too late, say West Bank Palestinians

West Bank Palestinians are welcoming the UK government's unprecedented ban on trade with the Israeli settlements - but say it is long overdue and doesn't go far enough. On Tuesday, UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband confirmed a 'new approach' in the UK's relations with Israel, imposing a ban on goods coming out of Israeli settlements in the West Bank which Britain regards as illegal. Palestinians in the West Bank praised the 'brave' government for a step in the right direction, as residents face growing violence and repression from Israeli settlers and authorities. 'It's too late, but to come late is better than never,' says Basel Adra, filmmaker and director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which documents life facing settler attacks and home demolitions in the beleaguered area of Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank. Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra poses with his Oscar trophy in his home village of At Tuwani, in the occupied West Bank (AFP/Getty) 'It's the right thing, it's the moral thing, but it's too late, and we wish that all the international community, especially in Europe, will take the steps that the UK and this brave minister and prime minister did,' he tells The Independent . Israel has responded furiously to the announcement, shutting down the UK consulate in East Jerusalem, with president Isaac Herzog declaring it a 'grave miscalculation'. The move is expected to prompt a harsh response from the Trump administration. Follow all the reaction to the ban in our live blog. Tuesday's announcement reflects a new shift in tone from the UK towards the Israeli government. Mr Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to the 'ethnic cleansing' of Palestinians, as he declared the occupation as a whole unlawful, going beyond the previous position that only described the settlements themselves as illegal. It also illustrates a significant shift in policy from previous governments, who had largely limited action to sanctions on specific individuals and entities in the settlements. Mr Miliband announced the sanctions regime in the Commons on Tuesday (House of Commons) The government confirmed it would ban all imports of goods from the settlements and the advertisement of settlement properties. Mr Miliband also said that any companies or individuals who 'finance or facilitate' the expansion of the settlements will 'face the full force of UK sanctions'. 'Settlements have been illegal since day one. It's wrong since day one for UK businesses and investors to invest in these illegal settlements,' adds Mr Adra, whose documentary, produced alongside three other Israeli and Palestinian directors, depicts his complex but deep bond with Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham as they shine a light on the plight of West Bank Palestinians. Settlers have been able to 'kill Palestinians, to burn our villages, to steal our livestock and to destroy our lives' in part thanks to years of trade and investments that have 'made the settlers strong', he adds. A view over the Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank on September 8 (Getty) Madees Khoury, a brewmaster at Taybeh Brewery, agrees the ban is 'long overdue' and says that on its own, is unlikely to tangibly change the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank. 'There's more that can be done from the UK and from the other Western governments,' she says from Taybeh, the West Bank's last fully Christian town. 'I just hope that it's not just something symbolic, that it's not just lip service but something substantial, and something will change [things] on the ground and have more material effect.' Ms Khoury has not seen much improvements, despite similar sanctions imposed by some other European countries including Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium. 'Western governments need to follow international law, and put more pressure on the Israeli government,' she adds. 'As a Palestinian living on the grounds in the West Bank, I don't see much changing. I don't see anything changing for Palestinians. 'Even as a business in the West Bank, we are suffering,' she adds, referring to the brewery which she says has lost around 80 per cent of its business in the last three years. Canaan (left) and Madees (right) Khoury, who handle the day-to-day running of Taybeh Brewery. Madees is the brewmaster (Taybeh and Brewgooder) 'We don't have our own borders. We don't have control. We don't have any freedom of movement, whether it's within the West Bank or it's trying to export abroad.' Mr Adra called on the UK and other European countries to ramp up their action to target the Israeli government, not only the settlements. This is something that Mr Miliband explicitly ruled out on Tuesday, declaring the sanctions will only target the settlements and their expansion. 'For me personally, Israel has reached a place worse than the apartheid in South Africa,' says Mr Adra. 'Countries literally need to do all exact steps that they did to the apartheid in South Africa until this apartheid and this genocide ends.'