Israel vows to shut down UK’s embassy in Jerusalem after new sanctions from British government

Israel has vowed to impose retaliatory measures against Britain after UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced new sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and accused some settlers of carrying out the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.

Miliband announced a ban on imports from settlements considered illegal under international law, restrictions on advertising such settlements in Britain and further measures targeting companies and individuals involved in settlement activity.

Israel responded by threatening to close the British consulate, remove UK officials from a Gaza support centre, end British training for Palestinian Authority forces and bar 12 British politicians and nationals over what it described as anti-Israel activities.

Those named included MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, Naz Shah, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell and Richard Burgon, as well as Green politicians Hannah Spencer, Carla Denyer, Sian Berry, Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay. Fahad Ansari, Director of Riverway to the Sea, was also listed. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the British government’s actions as “morally distorted” and accused it of “blatant” electoral interference.

Miliband, who described himself as a “proud British Jew” with the “deepest gratitude to the state of Israel,” told the House of Commons that his support for Israel did not conflict with his support for Palestinian rights. “I am proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the state of Israel and there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for Palestine. Indeed, quite the opposite,” he said.

“The two-state solution is based on an explicit belief that the only route for security for both peoples is to live side-by-side in peaceful coexistence with freedom, security and self-determination.” Miliband said he felt a “deep sense of shame” over Israel’s conduct in Gaza since the October 7 attacks and accused some settlers in the West Bank of forcibly displacing Palestinians.

“The British Government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists, and all too often the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians,” he said. “I recognise the gravity of saying this, but the truth is it is the least the people who face such suffering deserve and it should be the prelude to justice.”

The Foreign Secretary also announced tighter restrictions on arms and other exports to Israel. “We will now also refuse all licence applications for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation, in theory a double lock against arms exports,” he said. The measures drew criticism from the United States and opposition politicians in Britain.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he expected Washington to respond to the British measures and suggested President Donald Trump could impose consequences. “It’s like throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land. The UK is a sovereign country, they can do what they want, but so is the US,” Huckabee told the BBC.

Huckabee, who had previously accused the Labour government of being consumed by “Jew hate,” also said: “The Brits have lost it. “The Jew hate of their government knows no boundaries and knows no facts.” Asked whether he was aware that Miliband is Jewish, Huckabee replied: “Yes, I was aware of that.

“There are some Americans that don’t like America very much, they march in the streets and burn our flags. It doesn’t mean that they love America just because they live there. You go by what people do, not just by what they say or who they’re related to.”

Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Tugendhat also criticised the government’s approach, arguing that the sanctions oversimplified a complex regional conflict. “Sadly this government has reduced complexity to a soundbite. The Foreign Office knows these sanctions won’t work and is acting without prudence, introducing sanctions that are both light and dangerous,” he said.

“Light because they won’t actually target settlers but will be stretched to include all Israeli and Palestinian businesses, including the pharmaceuticals that keep many British patients alive. Dangerous because they risk encouraging sectarianism and antisemitism at home, and discouraging cooperation abroad.”

The British measures follow warnings from the Labour government that relations with Israel could face a “comprehensive reset” over plans for the E1 settlement project. The project would link Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank. Critics argue that its development would further separate Palestinian areas and make the territorial continuity required for a future Palestinian state more difficult.

Many Labour backbench MPs expressed support for the government’s new position, while Israel’s threatened retaliatory measures marked a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.