UK's Miliband decries 'unacceptable, destructive' E1 settlement expansion in West Bank

Britain is preparing targeted sanctions against those involved in Israeli settlement expansion, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband vowing the UK will not "stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution." The announcement follows Israel's advancement of plans for the E1 project, located east of Jerusalem, which includes the marketing of 1,400 housing units as part of a larger plan for 3,412 homes in the area.

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Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution.

Miliband announced that the UK had summoned Israel's chargé d’affaires to demand the government halt the E1 plans, retract the tender, and cease all settlement expansion. He indicated that a broader package of measures would be revealed in the coming weeks, signaling a significant diplomatic escalation.

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rejected outright the statement of the UK Foreign Secretary and the patronizing tone of his words.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar vehemently rejected Miliband's statement, calling it "patronizing." Sa'ar asserted that the Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, drawing a parallel to Britain's right to live in London. He further criticized Britain's history of controlling colonial territories, deeming it "absurd" for the UK to lecture Israelis about their right to live in their "historic tiny homeland."

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The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom.