Israel has announced four retaliatory measures against the UK in response to its decision to ban the import of all goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the move a “series of anti-Israel decisions by the Labour Government”.
On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in a speech to parliament that the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied Palestinian territory was “unlawful” and accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing”. He also announced sanctions against companies providing services to illegal settlements as well as tougher new restrictions on arms exports to Israel.
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Twelve countries, including the UK, France, Canada, Spain and others, also shared a joint statement supporting a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict and announced their plans to impose their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements.
After Miliband’s speech, Israel announced four countermeasures against the UK, including the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: “Accusations made today by the Foreign Secretary of the Labour Government in the British Parliament were outrageous lies.” He accused the UK of trying to interfere in Israeli elections, which are due in late October.
President Isaac Herzog said sanctions would prove to be a “grave miscalculation, a gross interference in the democratic elections of a sovereign nation, and a decision that will fall on the wrong side of history”.
Here’s what we know:
What four measures are being implemented against the UK?
These are:
- The closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem within 30 days.
- The removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center located in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.
- The termination of British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces in the occupied West Bank under the “British Support Team in Ramallah”.
- A ban on entry to Israel for 12 British MPs and other British nationals involved in “antisemitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel”.
Saar said this response should be viewed as a message to every country, adding: “Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region. Measures against Israel will not go unanswered.”
How important is the closure of the British consulate?
The British consulate in East Jerusalem focuses on the needs of British nationals in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
It was first opened in 1839 but closed in 1914 at the start of World War I. It was later re-established as a consulate-general in 1948 after the British Mandate in Palestine ended.
According to the British government website, the consulate provides assistance to British nationals in the Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, the British embassy, where the British ambassador is based, is located in Tel Aviv.
With the UK recognising Palestinian statehood last year, the East Jerusalem consulate has functioned as its de facto embassy to Palestine.
This is a significant move because East Jerusalem, where the consulate is located, is considered Palestinian territory illegally occupied by Israel. By ordering its closure, Israel is reaffirming its position that the whole of Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel, analysts say.
“United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and is under its full sovereignty,” Saar said. “Any foreign activity in the area must be conducted through accepted and agreed channels and without violating Israel’s sovereignty.”
What are the British Support Team and the International Gaza Support Centre?
For years, the UK has provided training to support PA security forces in managing tensions on the ground in the occupied West Bank.
According to a British government document from 2018, the team oversees the delivery of courses to security forces personnel in the occupied territory, ranging from conflict resolution to media skills.
At a basic level, terminating the support team in Ramallah would mean the PA forces lose British expertise.
On the removal of Britain from the United States-led International Gaza Support Center, which was set up to support a post-war Gaza, the biggest impact for the UK is that it no longer has direct influence in shaping the besieged enclave’s future.
Who has been banned from travelling to Israel?
Those banned from Israel are mostly left-wing parliamentarians, including:
- Jeremy Corbyn MP – former Labour Party leader
- Zarah Sultana MP
- Fahad Ansari, Director of Riverway to the Sea
- Naz Shah MP
- Diane Abbott MP
- Hannah Spencer MP
- Carla Denyer MP
- Sian Berry MP
- Ellie Chowns MP
- John McDonnell MP
- Richard Burgon MP
- Adrian Ramsay MP
Saar accused those denied entry to the country of being involved in “antisemitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel”.
How has the UK responded?
On Wednesday morning, Miliband condemned Israel’s decision to close its consulate in Jerusalem, calling it “regrettable and damaging”.
“We anticipated this might happen because we saw other countries, the Dutch, for example, who had announced sanctions, who had seen these reprisals from Israel,” Miliband told the BBC.
“We have important intelligence and security relationships with Israel, and I’m confident they will continue,” he said, declining to elaborate.
“And I was very clear yesterday that we do believe in working with our Israeli partners when it comes to the threats they face from Iran,” he added.
What about other countries which signed the joint declaration?
So far, Israel has not applied any countermeasures against the other countries that have called on the Israeli government to stop the expansion of settlements.
Those countries include: France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.