INTERVIEW - 'It's very real, not just words': Palestinian ambassador welcomes UK shift on Israel

Ambassador urges sanctions against institutions supporting settlements, rejects Israeli move against UK diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem ‘Israel's response always when the world reacts to its illegality is to double down on the illegality,’ he says Britain is moving beyond condemnation of Israel’s occupation toward concrete action, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said, welcoming measures against illegal settlements while urging the government to ensure they are fully implemented. “The UK government policy has improved, and now we see action rather than just words and statements and condemnations, and we see clear definition of the situation,” Zomlot told Anadolu. Tarayıcınız video oynatmayı desteklemiyor. “It's a work in progress, but it's a very good start,” he added. His comments come amid a diplomatic dispute over British plans to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements and restrict businesses supporting their construction and expansion in the occupied West Bank. Israel responded by ordering the British consulate general in occupied East Jerusalem to close. Britain announced on Oct. 8 that the building would remain open as the UK Mission, Jerusalem, although some staff had been withdrawn. For Zomlot, the UK's policy shift is significant because Britain has committed to measures intended to impose consequences for the occupation. The next test, he said, is whether those commitments translate into effective restrictions. “It’s very real and not just words,” he said. “The issue now is enforcement, implementation.” UK ‘resets’ approach to Israel Since October 2023, British policy toward Israel and Palestine has undergone a significant evolution. Under the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak, Britain strongly backed Israel’s right to defend itself, while Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft were deployed over the eastern Mediterranean. As civilian casualties mounted in Gaza, humanitarian access deteriorated and concerns over violations of international law intensified, Britain’s position came under growing pressure. Under Keir Starmer, the government suspended some arms export licenses in 2024, imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers in 2025 and recognized Palestinian statehood that year. But Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government has pledged broader action against economic support for settlements, including financial, construction and other services. At Labour’s recent party conference, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband acknowledged demands for a change in policy, telling those who had protested against the treatment of Palestinians: “We hear you, you were right.” “Under Andy's leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. And we match words with actions,” Miliband said. Enforcing the measures Zomlot said Britain’s position established common ground on both the goal of ending the occupation and the use of sanctions to achieve it. “We agree on the mechanism, which is sanctions. You have to sanction illegality. That's not a political demand. That's a legal obligation on the UK government and on all governments worldwide, all states, all nations that are contractors of international law and international legality.” He described the change as “a big step forward,” but said implementation would require sustained attention. The government has set a six- to nine-month timetable for the legislation underpinning the new restrictions. Miliband has said the measures target settlements rather than trade with Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries. Zomlot wants restrictions to encompass financing, promotion and insurance, alongside other business support for settlements. He also called for sanctions against Israeli state institutions, organizations and agencies that he said supported, protected or financed them. “We have been saying, while the settlements are the crime, Israel is the criminal,” he said. “So we cannot just punish the crime, but not the criminal, and that's what we are working with the British government towards.” Public pressure Zomlot credited public campaigning with helping drive the shift, saying ministers had responded to demands for stronger action on Palestinian rights. “We still have some way to go, and we need to continue working with the British people because it was the British people who spoke it,” he said. “The main force here is the public opinion, the public pressure. The public has spoken.” An April 2026 poll by YouGov found that over six in 10 of the British public opposed Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza and the West Bank, while just 13% said they were in support. Invoking the anti-apartheid movement, he praised those campaigning against genocide and ethnic cleansing and supporting Palestinian freedom and liberation. Dispute over Jerusalem mission The confrontation over Britain’s diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem has brought the consequences of the policy shift into focus. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the consulate general to close by Oct. 8, following a 30-day deadline imposed in response to the settlement measures. Israel also announced restrictions on other British activities, including participation in Gaza aid coordination and training for Palestinian Authority security forces, as well as entry bans targeting British citizens. Miliband said the consulate building would remain open under a new designation. “The Consulate General building will not be closing, and will be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem from today,” he said. Britain maintains that Israel has no legal right to close the mission and that East Jerusalem is occupied territory. The government said it would work to rebuild its diplomatic presence and refrain from reciprocal action while credible discussions continued. Zomlot rejected Israel’s authority to order the closure. “Israel has no right, has no jurisdiction over Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is an occupied city,” he said. He described the mission, which has maintained a British diplomatic presence for nearly 200 years, as an important connection between the two peoples. “It serves as the address between Britain and the British people and the Palestinian people,” he said. He called the move against the British diplomatic presence “a very illegal act” and urged London not to accept it. “Israel's response always when the world reacts to its illegality is to double down on the illegality,” he said.