Israel Threatens Retaliation if UK Imposes Sanctions over West Bank Settlements

“If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told the Hebrew-language news website Ynet. His warning marked a sharper turn in the dispute with London over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Saar spoke after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the United Kingdom would announce a “comprehensive reset” of its policy toward Israel in the coming weeks. Miliband told Parliament that the government was examining ways to stop British companies from “financing, constructing or advertising new settlements” in the West Bank.

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If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.

Britain is also considering further measures, including possible restrictions on goods produced in Israeli settlements. The immediate focus is the E1 area, a strategically important tract of land east of Jerusalem. Israel opened tenders last month for about 1,200 settlement homes there, prompting widespread international condemnation.

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If they act, I think they will be making a big mistake.

Miliband called the E1 development “the crossing of a red line.” Critics say construction in the area could divide the West Bank, isolate East Jerusalem and make a future Palestinian state unviable. The territory is considered especially sensitive because development there could damage the continuity needed for a two-state solution.

The proposal has faced international pressure for years, but Israel has now moved forward with tenders. The United Kingdom says it will present a broader package of measures toward Israel in the coming weeks. The dispute adds to pressure on the British government to respond more forcefully to settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

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The crossing of a red line