The UK government has accused Israeli settler extremists of carrying out ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, saying the actions have received support or tolerance from members of Israel’s government.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sweeping new sanctions targeting Israeli settlements, including restrictions on settlement goods, services, financing, and certain arms exports connected to the occupation.

The British government also declared that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is unlawful and said the measures are intended to protect the possibility of a future two-state solution.

Israel strongly rejected the accusations, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemning the UK’s actions and announcing the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem along with entry bans on several British politicians and activists, The Guardian has reported.

The move represents one of the strongest shifts in British policy toward Israel in decades and places the UK among a growing group of countries imposing sanctions over Israeli settlement activity and violence in the West Bank.