Israel bans 11 British MPs and announces closure of UK consulate in East Jerusalem
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has unveiled a series of counter-sanctions on Britain after UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements on Tuesday.
In a speech on Tuesday afternoon, Saar said Israel would close the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem and remove British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center.
He announced an end to British training of Palestinian forces and a ban on 11 British MPs from entering Israel. The list includes former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, independent MP Zarah Sultana, Labour MPs Naz Shah, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell and Richard Burgon, and Green Party MPs Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Ellie Chowns, Sian Berry and Hannah Spencer.
In addition, Israel banned the lawyer Fahad Ansari, who has worked on a case arguing for Hamas to be de-proscribed as a terror organisation in Britain.
On Tuesday the British government recognised the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, declared the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and announced both comprehensive sanctions on Israeli settlements and a ban on all arms licences and other exports that "materially contribute to the occupation".
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
France and Canada will also ban trade in settlement goods today, marking a significant diplomatic victory for the British government.
Saar called the British boycott of Israeli settlement goods “despicable”.
"A united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, will always remain the capital of Israel and is under its full sovereignty," he said.
Saar added: "We will also take retaliatory measures based on our discretion. The message to any government that seeks to harm us is clear. Those who act against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose up [sic] their influence and relevance in the region."
'We will not be bullied into silence'
A Green Party spokesperson told Middle East Eye: "We will not be bullied into silence by the Israeli government. We are proud of our MPs for standing up for Palestinian rights and demanding an end to British complicity in genocide and illegal occupation.
"These threats only strengthen our resolve. The British government must stand firm and follow these overdue restrictions with a full arms embargo and wide-ranging sanctions.”
Sarr said Israel would expel British officials from the US-led International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), which was established to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Israel rcently expelled Dutch officials from the centre, over the Netherlands' recent ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Earlier this year, Israel kicked Spain out of the IGSC, accusing Madrid of "obsessive anti-Israel bias".
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in parliament on Tuesday afternoon that "the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful because of Israel's entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements".
This means the UK has accepted the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which said the occupation is unlawful and placed a duty on states to oppose it.
Miliband said: "The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.
"And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians."
Eleven other countries – Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden – signed a joint statement with Britain published on Tuesday, saying they "confirm their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures".
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
