The UK has introduced a new sanctions regime that could allow it to target people and organisations supporting activity linked to Israeli settlements, according to a report published on 14 October. The regulations are due to come into force on 15 October, but the available evidence does not show that anyone has yet been sanctioned under the new powers.
The statutory instrument, titled the Global Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Sanctions Regulations 2026, is recorded in official legislation listings as SI 2026/1071. Parliament’s statutory-instruments listing says it was made on 12 October. The Guardian reported that it must receive parliamentary endorsement within 28 days.
What the new regime may cover
The new rules add grounds for sanctions relating to serious violations of international humanitarian law, obstruction of humanitarian assistance, and serious violations of the right to liberty and security of person, the Guardian reported. The report says the criteria could reach people or entities that facilitate, finance, promote or support qualifying conduct, conceal evidence of it, or benefit from it.
Potential measures include asset freezes, travel bans and disqualification from serving as a company director, according to the Guardian. The UK’s published guidance for its earlier 2020 sanctions regime describes asset freezes and restrictions on making funds or economic resources available, including to entities owned or controlled by designated people. That earlier guidance provides context, but it does not establish the precise procedures or reach of the 2026 regulations.
The full text of the new instrument was not available for inspection in the research behind this report. As a result, details of how its criteria will be applied remain uncertain. The Guardian reported that unlawful settlement activity could fall within the international-humanitarian-law ground, but the evidence does not establish how officials would assess individual cases.
New authority, not new designations
The distinction between creating powers and using them is important. The new instrument establishes potential authority for future action; it is not evidence that the government has already designated settlement supporters under this regime.
The UK had taken separate action on 9 June 2026, when it announced sanctions against six entities and one individual for financing or enabling settler violence. That action was made under the existing 2020 regulations, according to the government’s announcement, and should not be conflated with designations under the new instrument.
In its June announcement, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said the UK regards Israeli settlements as illegal under international law. It also described the sanctions as coordinated with partner countries and advised UK businesses against economic and financial activity in settlements. Those are the government’s stated position and policy actions, rather than independent legal findings established by the available evidence.
The government’s sanctions announcement also concerned networks involved in settler violence. The new regulations, as described in the Guardian’s reporting, introduce broader grounds related to international humanitarian law and other specified conduct. The sources do not show that the earlier June targets will automatically be designated under the new regime, or that any new designation has been decided.
Separate questions over trade and timing
The sanctions instrument should also be distinguished from a possible restriction on trade with settlements. The Guardian reported that separate work on outlawing British trade with settlements was still under way. The evidence therefore does not support describing a trade ban as part of the new sanctions rules.
The Guardian connected the announcement’s timing to developments involving the proposed E1 settlement project. It reported that bids were due to close on 19 October, while the Israel Land Authority had confirmed that bids would not be opened or considered before 19 November. Those tender details and the suggested connection to the UK decision have not been independently corroborated in the available material.
The Guardian also reported that Israel had closed the UK consulate in East Jerusalem the previous week. The available evidence does not establish that this development caused the government to introduce the sanctions instrument, so the timing should not be treated as proof of a direct link.
The core development is the creation of a new legal framework, with implementation and the application of its criteria still to come. The instrument’s full text and any future government designations will be necessary to clarify how the powers operate in practice.