Israel warns it will retaliate if UK imposes sanctions
The UK's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband pledged on Tuesday to introduce a "comprehensive reset" of policy on Israel.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has issued a warning that his nation will take retaliatory measures should the United Kingdom implement sanctions against it. This statement follows shortly after his British counterpart, Ed Miliband, pledged a "comprehensive reset" of the UK's policy concerning Israel.
Saar's warning specifically addresses potential sanctions related to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Speaking to the Hebrew-language news website Ynet, Saar stated, "If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain," adding, "If they act, I think they will be making a big mistake."
During his inaugural address to Parliament as foreign secretary, Ed Miliband announced his intention to introduce a "comprehensive reset" of policy on Israel "in the coming weeks." He indicated that the government would investigate methods to prevent UK companies from "financing, constructing or advertising new settlements" in the occupied West Bank.
Last month, Israel initiated tenders for the construction of approximately 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area, a strategically significant region located east of Jerusalem. These plans have garnered widespread international condemnation, as the development would effectively bisect the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem.
Miliband characterized these plans as "illegal under international law" and described them as "the crossing of a red line, as it cuts through the heart of the West Bank and risks making a Palestinian state unviable." UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also cautioned that Israel's declaration regarding the E1 area could "imperil or end" the two-state solution in the Middle East.
All settlements are considered illegal under international law, and Israel had, for decades, refrained from building in the E1 area due to global pressure. The "two-state solution," which has international support, advocates for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting with Israel. While the Palestinian Authority supports a two-state solution, Hamas opposes it due to its rejection of Israel's existence. Israel itself rejects a two-state solution.