UK Sanctions on Israel Follow Tense Call Over E1 Settlement Plans

Four weeks before Britain announced extensive sanctions against Israel, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband held a tense phone call with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, on August 11. The conversation centered on the controversial E1 construction plan, which would link the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem, effectively bisecting Palestinian territory between Ramallah and Bethlehem. According to British sources speaking to The New York Times, they understood from Sa'ar that Israel would not issue tenders for construction in E1 before the Israeli elections on October 27. Israel had delayed these plans for decades due to international concerns that construction would hinder the establishment of a Palestinian state, but gave final approval last year.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected this characterization of the call by unnamed British sources. A week after the conversation, Israel published tenders for approximately 1,200 new housing units in E1, allowing construction companies to submit bids. British officials viewed this as a "complete reversal" of what they understood from Sa'ar. The ministry responded that Sa'ar had only updated his counterparts that there would be "no change on the ground itself" before the elections, and that the tenders were not a "renewal" as the E1 plan was approved over a year prior. The British Foreign Office reiterated its stance that settlement expansion significantly endangers progress toward a two-state solution.

The new tenders were not the sole reason for the sanctions. Miliband, who took office in July, had been formulating a new policy toward Israel, including potential measures against settlements. The new British government had pledged a significant shift in its approach to Israel, partly due to criticism from Labour Party voters who felt their previous leader was too soft on the issue.

Following these developments, Miliband announced economic sanctions on settlements in the West Bank. He was joined by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, who issued a joint statement emphasizing the need for a two-state solution. They stated that "Israel's actions in the West Bank undermine the possibility of a two-state solution" and called for an immediate halt to settlement expansion and administrative civilian authorities, and for accountability for settler violence. These countries also announced their intention to "impose restrictions on trade with settlements considered illegal under international law."

The British sanctions also extend to arms supplies to Israel. Miliband stated that 30 arms licenses for the IDF in Gaza had already been suspended and would remain so, and that licenses for arms sales contributing to the occupation would be refused, constituting a "double prohibition against arms sales." Additionally, it was reported that Britain would impose sanctions on five individuals in the West Bank settlements: Bentzi Gopstein, Meir Mordechai Ettinger, Eliab Levi, Baruch Marzel, and Avichai Suissa.