UK Foreign Secretary Responds to Israel's Counter-Measures

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that the UK had anticipated Israel's retaliatory measures following the imposition of sanctions on West Bank settlements. "We took into account that this would happen," Cameron said in an interview with Sky News, asserting that the UK's actions were the "right thing to do" despite potential harm to bilateral relations.

The UK's sanctions, announced earlier by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, include a ban on goods from Israeli settlements and a new sanctions regime against companies and individuals involved in their expansion. Miliband equated the West Bank with entities like Iran and Hezbollah, which are also subject to UK sanctions. This move is part of a broader international effort, with France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden joining the initiative to create an international front applying economic pressure on Israeli settlements.

In response to the British sanctions, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced several counter-measures. These include the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem, the expulsion of British representatives from a headquarters in Kiryat Gat, the cessation of British activities training Palestinian Authority forces in Ramallah, and the barring of entry into Israel for 12 British public figures involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activities that deny Israel's right to exist.