Israel warns it will retaliate if UK sanctions over E1 West Bank settlement expansion

International law, European action and UK public opinion point the same way. Britain should stop helping to sustain Israeli settlements economicallyIn the Commons this week, the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, appeared to have accepted the principle of a trade ban between the UK and Israeli settlements, which Britain says are illegal under international law. This is long overdue. The test now is whether his promised “comprehensive reset” deserves the name. Stopping settlement-produced goods at the border is not enough. Britain should prohibit its companies from sustaining settlement activity – by financing, constructing, insuring, advertising – in territory whose occupation it regards as unlawful. The ban must have teeth.The UK can no longer ignore the violence and pressure exerted on Palestinians in the West Bank by Israel’s government, military and settlers. There have been more than 1,400 settler attacks so far this year, according to the UN, against a record 1,800 registered in 2025. An election campaign has only made matters worse. Last month, Israel issued tenders for 1,234 homes in the 3,401-unit E1 development east of Jerusalem. The country’s ministers gave the green light for the controversial settlement – long condemned for effectively bisecting the West Bank – expressly to “erase” the idea of a Palestinian state, the creation of which the UK officially supports. Continue reading...

Israel vows to retaliate if UK imposes sanctions Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 13:58 London threatens 'comprehensive' sanctions over Israel's plan to expand settlements in Area E1 A picture taken from the E1 corridor, a super-sensitive area of the occupied West Bank, shows the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the background on 16 April 2025 (AFP) Off Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that Israel would retaliate should the UK imposed sanctions over illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. During an interview with Israeli news outlet Ynet on Tuesday, Sa'ar was asked about the tense relationship between Israel and the UK over recent Israeli plans to further expand settlements. Sa'ar accused the Labour government of "acting systematically against Israel", adding that it has "already harmed defence exports to us and imposed sanctions on ministers". In June 2025, London imposed sanctions on Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting settler violence against Palestinians during Israel's genocide in Gaza. "If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain," Sa'ar said. "They will be making a big mistake," he added. He told Ynet that Israel is now bracing for UK sanctions and preparing a response. Exclusive: UK to announce raft of new policies on Israel including settlement goods ban Read More » Late last month, Sa’ar and UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband traded barbs over Israel’s highly controversial plan to expand settlements in Area E1 in the occupied West Bank. The proposed Israeli E1 project is designed to connect Jerusalem to Ma'ale Adumim and other settlements east of the city, carving into land on which Palestinians seek to establish their state. On Tuesday, Miliband told British MPs that his government plan to impose "comprehensive" package of sanctions in the coming weeks.  Miliband said Israel's new plan in area E1 "risks making a Palestinian state unviable". "This government will not acquiesce in the destruction ​of the two-state solution," he added. Miliband vowed the British government "will act and I will set ‌out ⁠a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks." Sa’ar outright rejected Miliband’s statement, saying that "Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy" and will defend "its rights, its interests and its people". Warnings to London According to Israeli right-wing outlet Ma’ariv, Israel has already warned London that it would respond “substantially” if the British government imposes sanctions on Israeli settlements. The report, published on Monday, said the nature of any retaliation has yet to be decided, with Israeli officials considering diplomatic, economic or other measures. One measure under consideration is expelling British officials from the US-led International Gaza Support Centre (IGSC), established to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Last week, Israel expelled Dutch officials from the centre, over the Netherlands' recent ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Earlier this year, Israel kicked Spain out of the IGSC, accusing Madrid of "obsessive anti-Israel bias". Ma’ariv said Israel is weighing the risk that retaliation could damage long-term ties with British politicians who may return to power, as a future Conservative or Reform UK-backed government is expected to be more friendly towards Israel. The newspaper also reported that the US administration is passing messages between the two governments and pressuring London not to impose sanctions. Inside Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

UK foreign secretary pledges 'comprehensive reset' of UK policy on Israel British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband laid out plans on Tuesday for a set of measures against illegal Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, in what he said would be a "comprehensive reset" of UK policy on Israel in the "coming weeks". Speaking to lawmakers as foreign secretary for the first time since his appointment in July, Miliband said that “we need to look, and we are looking indeed, at our wider economic relationship with the occupied territories and the different tools we have to tackle it”. “I want to be very clear: we do not want British companies financing, constructing, or advertising new settlements,” he added. Miliband also condemned what he called "appalling settler terrorism" in the occupied West Bank.  Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on a podcast on Tuesday that Israel will respond to any sanctions by retaliating against the UK. Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband leaves 10 Downing Street in London on 20 July 2026 (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

UK urged to act 'comprehensively' against Israel's settlement plans The Labour Muslim Network (LMN) and International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) have published a legal briefing urging the British government to act "urgently and comprehensively" in response to Israel's E1 settlement project. The briefing, entitled "Priority Measures for UK Policy on Palestine", comes as Andy Burnham's government is expected to announce a raft of new measures on Israel this month. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said last month that the government would announce "measures" against Israel over the new E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two. The LMN, a group within the Labour Party, told Middle East Eye: "The Israeli government’s E1 settlement project could destroy the future of a viable Palestinian state. "Settlement expansion, settler violence and terrorism, and the forcible displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are accelerating on a daily basis." Read more: UK urged to act 'comprehensively' against Israel's settlement plans

UK urged to act 'comprehensively' against Israel's settlement plans Submitted by Imran Mulla on Tue, 09/01/2026 - 10:53 Labour Muslim Network and International Centre of Justice for Palestinians publish briefing in response to E1 settlement project Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham pictured in July (AFP) Off The Labour Muslim Network (LMN) and International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) have published a legal briefing urging the British government to act "urgently and comprehensively" in response to Israel's E1 settlement project. The briefing, entitled "Priority Measures for UK Policy on Palestine", comes as Andy Burnham's government is expected to announce a raft of new measures on Israel this month. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said last month that the government would announce "measures" against Israel over the new E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two. The LMN, a group within the Labour Party, told Middle East Eye: "The Israeli government’s E1 settlement project could destroy the future of a viable Palestinian state. "Settlement expansion, settler violence and terrorism, and the forcible displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are accelerating on a daily basis." The LMN added: "The UK government and the international community as a whole must act urgently and comprehensively in response to this destructive proposal before potentially irreversible damage is done." Last month, MEE reported that Burnham's government is poised to announce a raft of new policies on Israel in September, including a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Miliband in particular is pushing for stronger measures and has been consulting a range of civil society organisations, MEE understands. Andy Burnham should not cave to right-wing attacks on Ali Milani Read More » But pro-Israel groups are campaigning for the government to weaken its policies and not implement a full ban on the import of settlement foods. The briefing by the LMN and the ICJP, published on Tuesday, says: "The legal framework governing the settlements is firmly established in international humanitarian law, including treaties to which the UK is a party. "The UK is required not only to respect international humanitarian law but also, under Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions, to ensure respect for it in all circumstances." It adds: "The UK Government should establish a robust and tangible policy approach to Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise", including a "full ban on British citizens and businesses conducting economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements as well as in activities that assist the wider illegal settlement economy". UK should 'press for Security Council resolution' Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), a lobby group within the Labour Party, published a report earlier this month apparently justifying some illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and urging the British government not to ban goods produced by them. LFI is believed to count more than 70 MPs as affiliates, although it no longer keeps a public list. Burnham is under significant pressure from Labour backbenchers to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements.  Polling of Labour members earlier this year showed that a staggering 87 percent support a ban on trade with Israeli settlements, with only six percent opposing it.  The LMN and ICJP briefing further argues that the Foreign Office "should report periodically to Parliament on the status of religious sites in the [occupied Palestinian territories] and on violations, restrictions and intimidation affecting worshippers and clergy of all faiths, so that the erosion of the status quo and the persecution of Muslim and Christian Palestinians are placed on the public record and can inform sanctions and other policy decisions". Exclusive: UK to announce raft of new policies on Israel including settlement goods ban Read More » It adds that "the UK should press for a Security Council resolution providing for international observers to monitor violations of religious rights and of the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem".  Another key issue the Burnham government could consider movement on is arms sales.  In September 2024, the newly elected Starmer government suspended around 30 export licences for UK-made arms after assessing there was a "clear risk" the items could be used in Gaza in serious violations of international humanitarian law. The licensing of UK-made F-35 components exported directly to Israel was suspended. Significantly, however, parts sent to a global F-35 programme spare parts pool that could end up in Israel were exempted. UK-made F-35 components make up 15 percent of every F-35, one of the world's most sophisticated fighter jets, which Israel used extensively in its campaign in Gaza, as well as in Lebanon and Iran.  The briefing argues that since the UK is party to the Arms Trade Treaty, the government should "suspend all remaining arms export licences to Israel" and "suspend licences for F-35 components entering the global supply chain where UK-origin components could ultimately support Israeli military operations". UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

British Arabs urge UK government to impose binding restrictions on Israeli settlements Submitted by Ayse Betul Aytekin on Sun, 08/30/2026 - 21:21 Joint letter to Foreign Secretary Miliband urges the UK to close the gap between its stated legal position and its actions, while helping protect Palestinians from escalating settler violence A woman holds a placard outside Downing Street during a "National March for Palestine" in London, Britain, 18 July 2026 (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Off Dozens of prominent British Arabs have called on the UK government to move beyond condemning illegal Israeli settlements and put legally binding rules in place to stop British economic activity from supporting their expansion. In a joint letter to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, dated 24 August 2026, the signatories call on the government to act on the obligations it already recognises, "particularly the duties of non-recognition, non-assistance and differentiation between Israel and the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967." The real question is no longer whether the Israeli settlements are unlawful, the letter says. Rather, it is whether the UK's present combination of “voluntary guidance, tariff differentiation and targeted sanctions is sufficient in practice” to meet the country's legal obligations, including the duty identified by the ICJ to prevent trade or investment that helps sustain the settlements. The letter calls on UK ministers to use the powers already available, together with other countries, to immediately stop British money or business from helping Israeli settlements grow. The signatories include prominent figures from the British-Arab world such as Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain; Sabah Almukhtar, president of the Arab Lawyers Association in the UK; Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan, president of Health Workers 4 Palestine; Feda Shahin, secretary general of the Palestine Solidarity Movement; and many others from various sectors. Mechanism to stop settler violence Among the measures requested in the letter are binding restrictions on UK economic activity that benefits settlements, extending sanctions to individuals as well as companies, applying full differentiation across government procurement and public dealings, and working with international partners to prevent circumvention via third-country structures. The letter notes that the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 already gives the government a domestic legal basis for such measures. It also points to the UK's 2016 vote in favour of a UN Security Council resolution which found Israeli settlements to have "no legal validity", and to the ICJ's advisory opinion of July 2024, which ruled Israel's presence in the occupied territories unlawful and said all settlement activity must stop immediately. Alongside the economic measures, the letter calls on the government to work with international partners to establish a mechanism to protect Palestinian civilians from settler violence, citing a 1994 UN resolution the UK itself co-sponsored. Such a mechanism would include independent monitoring, documentation of violence and displacement, and protection for communities most at risk, the letter says. "This is not a request for hostility towards Israel or Israeli citizens, nor for indiscriminate restrictions on lawful trade with Israel," it adds. "Britain's commitment to the international rule of law should be demonstrated not only through statements of principle, but through consistent and effective implementation." The joint letter remains open for additional signatures. The UK government said earlier this month that it will announce new measures against Israel over settlement construction east of Jerusalem that could effectively split the occupied West Bank in two, thus threatening a two-state solution. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband criticised the E1 settlement plan, saying it poses a threat to a two-state solution and that he had told Israel to stop all settlement expansion. He said Britain would set out broader measures in the coming weeks. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0