The announcement today by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on sanctioning Israel triggered a firestorm of reactions from Israeli leaders and the Jewish state’s allies around the globe. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that the British consulate in Jerusalem would be shut down.
In addition to this, Saar announced that 12 far-left and anti-Israel British MPs will be banned from entering the State of Israel. British representatives will also be removed from the
International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat and Britain’s involvement with training PA ‘forces’ in Ramallah would cease.
1+Israel Gantz, governor of Binyamin, responded to the sanctions by vowing further Israeli development in its heartland: “You will not succeed in removing the Jews from Judea and Samaria. We will respond to any attempt to harm the communities with more construction, more communities, and Israeli sovereignty.”
Before Miliband’s announcement, Republican Congressman from Florida Randy Fine threatened the United Kingdom that sanctioning Israel would trigger a law he passed that would “ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in Florida.” Fine later confirmed it would be implemented.
As the British government considers forcing British companies to boycott portions of Israel, it should be aware that a Florida law that I passed as a member of the Legislature would ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in…
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) September 7, 2026
Blue and White party chairman Benny Gantz called the decision hypocritical. He added that the response should be “to build a strong coalition and a strong government. Without extremist ministers, without games, and without apologizing.”
Yigal Dilmoni, CEO and Co-founder of American Friends of Judea and Samaria, released a harsh statement as well: “Any attempt to deny Jews the right to live and build in their historic homeland stands against the faith and beliefs of hundreds of millions of Jews and Christians around the world who regard the Bible as a fundamental testimony to this history.”
The Burnham-Miliband sanctions will have negligible economic effect on Israel. But they will incite even greater Jew hate and potentially violence by jihadists and their useful idiots in Britain. They will damage relations with the US causing potential economic harm to the UK.… pic.twitter.com/IEktvMXReb
— Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Kᴇᴍᴘ ⋁ (@COLRICHARDKEMP) September 8, 2026
Negative reactions came from inside Britain as well. Retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp said the sanctions would have a “negligible economic effect” on Israel. He added that the sanctions would backfire by inciting “even greater Jew hate and potentially violence by jihadists and their useful idiots in Britain. They will damage relations with the US, causing potential economic harm to the UK. They are also deliberately intended to constitute electoral interference in Israel.”
As Milband made the announcement, Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan met with the deputy prime minister of Slovenia,
Jernej Vrtovec. Dagan issued his response from Ljubljana: “Israel is the frontline, the vanguard that defends Europe. It is impossible to accept a situation where Jews are punished just because they live in the heart of the Land of Israel.”
1+Unlike Miliband, Vrtovec affirmed his support for Israeli sovereignty over its heartland and historical homeland: “We express great solidarity with Samaria, and we would like to say that we support Samaria being under Israeli sovereignty.”