MWE Correspondent
Israel has announced a series of retaliatory measures against the United Kingdom after London imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Tuesday that Israel would close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which serves as Britain’s main diplomatic channel for dealing with Palestinian affairs. Israel will also remove British representatives from the U.S.-led International Gaza Support Center and terminate British training activities for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank.
Israel also announced that 12 British nationals, including 11 lawmakers, would be barred from entering the country. Among those named are former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Richard Burgon and several Green Party MPs. Lawyer Fahad Ansari was also included on the list.
Sa’ar said the measures were coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described the British decision as unacceptable interference in Israel’s internal affairs.
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The Israeli response came shortly after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. London said the measures were intended to respond to settlement expansion and what it described as the forced displacement and “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.
Miliband told Parliament that the British government considers Israel’s occupation of the West Bank unlawful, citing Israel’s continued control of the territory, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty and the expansion of settlements.
Britain’s measures were announced alongside similar action by France and Canada, while a number of other European countries expressed support for efforts aimed at protecting the prospects of a two-state solution.
The latest dispute comes amid already strained UK-Israel relations over the war in Gaza, Israeli settlement expansion and the future of the Palestinian territories. The British consulate in East Jerusalem has traditionally played an important role in Britain’s engagement with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
The escalation has further widened the diplomatic divide between Israel and several Western governments, with the dispute now extending beyond political statements to diplomatic representation, security cooperation and trade.
