Andy Burnham Praises UK Sanctions on West Bank Settlements as Gideon Sa'ar Closes Consulate

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham praised the UK’s sanctions on imports from West Bank settlements, telling parliament on Wednesday that it was “leadership on the world stage” and that Britain must “stand for something” where there is “injustice.”

““That is leadership on the world stage, Britain being true to what it has always been about,” Burnham said”

The Jerusalem Post

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended the decision in an interview with Sky News, saying he was “proud” because “it was the right thing to do,” while also regretting Israel’s announcement that it will close the UK’s consulate in east Jerusalem in retaliation.

Al Jazeera

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Tuesday that the consulate would be shut down and that British representatives at the Kiryat Gat Civil-Military Coordination Center would be expelled after Miliband’s Tuesday announcement of UK sanctions on West Bank settlements.

The sanctions triggered criticism from British Jewish community leadership, including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who said the announcement amounted to “little more than a political flag bearing a mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric... and those who harbor a dangerous obsession with the Jewish state.”

The Guardian reported that Ed Miliband faced backlash over the government’s sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank after Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the safety of British Jews could be at risk, and that Miliband rejected the warnings by emphasising that ministers can confront Benjamin Netanyahu’s government while also fighting antisemitism.T

In the same dispute, Miliband told Sky News that he was “a proud British Jew” and said he did not agree with Mirvis, adding that it must be possible “to stand up for British values of the rule of law, of dignity for people, of the prevention of injustice.”

BBC

The Guardian also said US president Donald Trump had “failed to comment on the UK government’s action,” while CBS News reported that a warning came from the US ambassador in Israel, who said “I don't know if they're really aware of the implications and how it's going to affect Brits.”T

CBS News further described Israeli president Issac Herzog calling the sanctions a “grave miscalculation” and a “gross interference,” and said Herzog warned they would “directly harm — unfortunately — Palestinians, robbing them of business and employment.”

Israel’s retaliation included closing the British consulate in Jerusalem and barring British lawmakers, with The Independent reporting that foreign minister Gideon Saar unveiled counter-measures after Ed Miliband accused Israel of “turning a blind eye” to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank.

““involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel””

The Independent

The Independent quoted Saar describing the barred officials as “involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel,” and it said Saar also confirmed the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem and the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Centre in Kiryat Gat.

Al Jazeera said Miliband told the UK parliament that Israel was carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Palestine and reiterated that Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, while also saying Canada and France would impose a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Euronews reported that the UK and France were among 12 countries confirming plans to introduce restrictions on trade with settlements, and it quoted a joint statement saying Israel’s actions were “undermining the possibility of a two-State solution” amid “unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion.”