The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on West Bank settlements, including a ban on settlement imports, following a diplomatic dispute over Israel's E1 construction plans. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the measures after Israel issued tenders for 1,200 housing units in E1, which British officials viewed as a breach of assurances from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Israel retaliated by closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem and expelling British security and aid officials.
UK sanctions on Israeli settlements
- ▪Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered members of the British Support Team based in Ramallah to leave within seven days and barred a dozen British lawmakers from entering Israel.
- ▪In response to British sanctions on Israeli settlements, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem and evicted British officials coordinating Gaza support
- ▪British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in a speech in the House of Commons, targeting the E1 settlement project, its facilitators, and violent settlers
- ▪The United Kingdom announced major sanctions on Israeli settlements and settlers in the occupied West Bank
- ▪The British sanctions on Israeli settlements include a ban on the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories
- ▪The British government decided against broader economic measures, such as suspending weapons supplies, maintaining bilateral trade with Israel proper which is worth approximately £6.2 billion ($8.3 billion)
E1 settlement construction dispute
- ▪British officials believed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar indicated Israel would not open construction bids for E1 before the October 2026 Israeli elections.
- ▪The Israeli foreign ministry stated that Gideon Saar told counterparts there would be no physical changes on the ground in E1 before the October elections, denying the British characterization of the Aug. 11 call with Ed Miliband
- ▪The Israeli government posted tenders for approximately 1,200 new housing units in the E1 settlement area one week after the August 11, 2026 phone call between Ed Miliband and Gideon Saar
- ▪British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband held a tense phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on August 11, 2026, regarding the E1 West Bank construction plan.
Settler violence against Palestinians
- ▪British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the ongoing process of settler violence, land confiscation, and displacement of Palestinians as ethnic cleansing.
- ▪The rise in settler terrorism and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank served as an immediate trigger for the UK, Canada, and European allies to impose sanctions
Palestinian displacement from West Bank
- ▪The current Israeli government has approved more settlements during its four years in power than were approved in the preceding 20 years.
- ▪The expansion of the E1 settlement plan east of Jerusalem involves the eviction and displacement of local Palestinian communities.
Two-state solution viability
- ▪The British foreign office reiterated its position that Israeli settlement expansion puts progress toward a two-state solution at significant risk.
- ▪Developing the E1 area east of Jerusalem would isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and sever its northern and southern parts, making a viable Palestinian state nearly impossible
International legal framework
- ▪Reports indicate that nearly 20 percent of food shipments entering the European Union labeled as originating in Israel actually originate from settlements in the West Bank or Golan Heights.
- ▪The International Court of Justice issued a 2024 advisory opinion stating that countries should prevent trade or investment relationships that sustain Israel's presence in occupied Palestinian territories.
- ▪The European Union's top court ruled in 2019 that member countries must ensure products made in Israeli settlements are appropriately labeled.
Debatable claims
- ▪The UK should expand its sanctions to include Israel proper
- ▪Israel's diplomatic retaliation against the UK is justified
- ▪Israel should halt the E1 settlement expansion project
- ▪The UK should ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements
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