Miliband pledges to reset relations with Israel

Ed Miliband pledged a “comprehensive reset” of relations with Israel as he hinted at banning trade with new settlements in the West Bank. In his first Commons appearance as Foreign Secretary , he said the Government was looking into stopping British companies “financing, constructing or advertising new settlements”. The comments threatened to upset Britain’s relations with Donald Trump, who has told allies not to impose sanctions on Israel. Israel’s foreign minister responded with a warning that his country would retaliate against any further sanctions. Gideon Sa’ar told the Israeli news website ynet: “If Britain acts against the state of Israel, the state of Israel will act against Britain. We have tools.” Mr Miliband’s comments will deepen the split in Labour between its Left, who will welcome the move, and centrists, who warn that it could prompt the US to launch a trade war on Britain. Jewish leaders have also warned that Britain risks a surge in anti-Semitism if fresh sanctions are imposed on Israel. Asked in the Commons about his policy on Israel , Mr Miliband said: “We need a comprehensive reset of our policy across the piece. “Many members of the House on both sides have made very, very important points, not just about trade, but a whole set of issues, including around the ICJ [International Court of Justice] judgment on legality. “I want a comprehensive reset of our approach on these issues because it is necessary, it is high time. 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. The work we are now undertaking is how we can stop that. And as I say, I’ll have more to say soon.” Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, indicated this could include a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Mr Doughty said: “We have absolutely condemned the settler violence, the settler terrorism that we have seen, absolutely our condemnation of the proposals for E1 and all illegal settlements, and indeed we have joined other countries around the world in condemning this proposal and been very, very clear with the government of Israel that this must stop. “The Prime Minister has been very clear that we need to do more, including looking at further sanctions, both those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.” The threat of sanctions follows plans by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to construct thousands of new settler homes in the E1 section of the West Bank. The move is expected to be announced in the next few weeks. Many countries oppose the E1 settlement project because it could imperil a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is because it would create a corridor between Jerusalem and an older established settlement which would split the West Bank in two, making a future Palestinian state less viable. There are also concerns about attacks on Palestinian citizens by Jewish settlers in the area. ‘Harmful impact’ Keith Black, the chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, told The Telegraph that the imposition of sanctions could have a “harmful impact on the UK Jewish community”. Speaking earlier, Mr Black said: “The JLC is deeply concerned by reports that the Government is preparing to announce measures to prohibit or restrict trade with Israeli settlements. “Throughout the summer, we have urged the Government to avoid irreversible steps that could further damage the UK’s relationship with Israel and have a harmful impact on the UK Jewish community.” Mr Black urged the Government to “consider the unintended consequences for our community of the proposals that are being considered”. “These include the risk of harming the legitimate connection between British Jews and places of great religious, cultural and historic significance, including the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site,” he said. “Broad, untargeted measures may inadvertently become a wider boycott of Israel, giving legitimacy to those who reject Israel’s very existence, and placing increased scrutiny on British Jews at a time when anti-Semitism in the UK is more prevalent and more violent than ever.” Mr Black said that although he shared concerns about settler violence and extremism, there was a “deeply troubling” question of why Israel was being “singled out”. “If the Government proceeds with this approach, it would be the latest in a series of punitive acts taken towards a supposed ally of this country,” he said. “The harsh reality is none of these actions have had any influence on the situation on the ground. “As Israel approaches pivotal elections on Oct 27, we urge the Government to carefully consider that the only impact of further interventions will be to embolden extremist factions within Israel.” Labour MPs have warned that imposing sanctions would risk a trade war with the US. One said: “We shouldn’t be naive enough to believe we could sanction Israel and not face any economic and political consequences.” A former Labour minister said Andy Burnham risked pandering to the Left wing of his party, which he said would never be satisfied and would continue to push for harsher action against Israel. The former minister said: “The Corbynites and the Greens will never be satisfied – whatever Burnham gives they will ask for more. “And a lot of this is performative anyway – it is impossible to know whether goods have come from the settlements.”