This Daily Mail opinion piece by Jake Wallis Simons attacks new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband over sanctions announced against Israeli settlements, which the author argues amount to a de facto boycott of Israel. He claims the move damages Britain's economic, security and diplomatic ties with Israel, risks provoking retaliation from the United States, and has already prompted Israel to close its Jerusalem consulate to British officials and exclude the UK from Gaza reconstruction talks. The author frames the decision as politically motivated, suggesting it is designed to placate Muslim voters at risk of switching to the Green Party.

The piece argues Israel remains the region's only genuine democracy and points out that most Jewish settlers in the West Bank are not extremists, contrasting this with what it describes as Britain's disproportionate focus on Israel rather than Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. It notes that 38 US states have laws penalising boycotts of Israel, and highlights that Britain has taken eight hostile measures against Israel since October 2023 compared with none against Ramallah or Hamas. The article also references the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state last year and criticises both Miliband and Burnham for their past support of that recognition, while noting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's comparison of Burnham to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.