Israel hits back at Miliband and closes UK consulate, bars a dozen MPs and boots out military
Israel has taken sweeping retaliatory measures against the UK following Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement of trade sanctions, closing its consulate in East Jerusalem, expelling British forces from a Gaza peacebuilding role and banning twelve left-wing British politicians from entering the country. The move marks a dramatic deterioration in UK-Israel relations, driven by London's coordinated sanctions with France and Canada over settlement expansion and the Gaza conflict, and raises concerns about a reduction in intelligence-sharing at a time when the UK's terror threat level is "severe".
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar called Miliband's parliamentary statement "outrageous lies" and accused Labour of "systematically acting against the State of Israel", saying he had consulted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before acting. Those barred include Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Zarah Sultana, John McDonnell and all five Green MPs, while British military personnel have been removed from the International Gaza Support Centre and UK training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank has been halted. Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the UK's sanctions as a "grave mistake" likely to boost Israeli hardliners ahead of Knesset elections, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham, alongside Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney, defended the sanctions as a "turning point" while affirming continued commitment to Israel's security.
- Israel closes East Jerusalem consulate, expels UK military from Gaza role
- A dozen left-wing UK MPs, including Corbyn and Abbott, banned from Israel
- Retaliation follows UK, French and Canadian sanctions over settlements
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Israel and the UK have long been close allies, cooperating on trade, defence and intelligence, but relations have grown strained over the war in Gaza and Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Ed Miliband, the UK's Foreign Secretary, recently announced trade sanctions against Israel, acting together with France and Canada, in protest at these policies.
Israel's government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has responded with a series of retaliatory steps, overseen by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. These include closing its consulate in East Jerusalem, ending British military involvement in Gaza-related and West Bank training work, and refusing entry to a group of British MPs, mostly from the left of politics, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The dispute matters because Britain and Israel have historically shared security and intelligence cooperation, particularly relevant given the UK's current heightened terror threat level. It also reflects wider divisions between Western governments over how to respond to the Gaza conflict, with some Israeli politicians warning that such sanctions could strengthen hardline positions ahead of Israel's own elections.
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