British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband responded Wednesday to countermeasures announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar against the UK. The response came after Miliband announced sweeping sanctions targeting Israel.
1+In an interview with Sky News, Miliband was asked whether Sa’ar’s measures would have significant consequences. “It will be damaging, but we weighed the costs against the benefits,” he said. The British minister added that he would have preferred Israel not to announce countermeasures, but maintained: “I believe what we did is the right thing.”
The British government sharply escalated its anti-Israel stance, launching an international front against the Jewish state. Miliband announced earlier Wednesday in Parliament a ban on imports and a new sanctions regime targeting companies and individuals providing services to building Jewish communities.
1+In doing so, the British minister equated Judea and Samaria with Iran and Hezbollah—both also subject to UK sanctions. A string of countries joined the move, including France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The British initiative is thus transforming from a unilateral step into an attempt to build an international front applying economic pressure on Israel.
In response, Foreign Minister Sa’ar announced: the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem, the removal of British representatives from the headquarters in Kiryat Gat, the termination of British activity training PA ‘forces’ in Ramallah, and barring entry to Israel of 12 British public officials involved in Jew-hate and anti-Israel activity—who believe Israel shouldn’t exist.