UK sanctions West Bank settlements, Israel closes consulate in response

September 8, 2026 at 10:09 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The UK announced sanctions on illegal West Bank settlements, accusing Israel of turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Israel responded with fury, announcing counter-measures including shutting the UK consulate in East Jerusalem. The sanctions, launched alongside France and Canada, ban imports and target companies supporting settlement expansion.

Key Facts

The UK sanctions ban imports from illegal West Bank settlements and target companies providing construction, infrastructure, or financing for settlement expansion.
Israel announced counter-measures including shutting the UK consulate in East Jerusalem and banning 11 UK MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, from entering Israel.
The UK, France, and Canada issued a joint statement saying the action marks a further turning point in their approach to protecting the two-state solution.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told MPs the British government agrees there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.
Over the next six to nine months, the UK will introduce a new comprehensive sanctions regime targeting illegal settlements and settlement expansion.

UK Sanctions Announcement

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the move marked the beginning of a new approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that not only calls out injustice and suffering but acts. Miliband said the official view of the government was that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank was unlawful because of the entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements. The foreign secretary also announced a ban on advertising illegal West Bank settlements in the UK. Miliband added that the sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel.

Israeli Response

Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, responded by announcing measures including the closure of the UK consulate. Saar said at a press conference that Israel has many friends in Britain but unfortunately has a hostile Labour government that is consistently operating against the State of Israel. He said 11 UK MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott and all five Green Party MPs, would be banned from entering Israel, accusing them of antisemitic and anti-Israel activity.

International Coordination

The sanctions were launched alongside France and Canada, who in a joint statement with the UK said the action marks a further turning point in their approach to protecting the two-state solution. Settlements are illegal under international law, and there has been a rise in violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank by settlers in recent months.