Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has issued a rebuke to Israel after it published a tender for construction of a settlement in the occupied West Bank, calling it an “unacceptable and destructive act”.
He said the UK would not “stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution”, as he pledged to set out measures in response to Israeli policies in the coming weeks.
The foreign secretary’s statement prompted a furious response from his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, who described it as “patronising” and “damaging” to UK-Israel relations.
Miliband said the UK had been clear publicly and privately about its opposition to a project to build 1,200 new homes in the ‘E1’ area the east of Jerusalem.
He said it risks endangering a two-state solution by separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem.
“I made clear to the Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar that the Israeli government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion,” the Foreign Secretary said.
The Foreign Office also summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires to set out the UK’s “profound objection to this move”.
Mr Miliband said: “This Israeli government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project is an unacceptable and destructive act.
“E1 would cut across the heart of Palestine and risks separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which would endanger the viability of a two-state solution.
“The UK has been clear privately and publicly in our opposition to E1 and our support for a two-state solution as the only way to ensure long-term security and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.
“All settlements damage that prospect and are a flagrant breach of international law.”
Mr Miliband said the expansion of settlements and “attempts to create irreversible divisions” on the ground threatens peace and prospects for a Palestinian state.
“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution.
“In the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies, protect the viability of the Palestinian state, target sanctions at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion and support a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”
In response Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said it was "absurd for Britain to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic tiny homeland”.
Sa'ar said: “I reject outright the statement of the UK Foreign Secretary and the patronising tone of his words.
“Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom.
“More than a century ago, the Balfour Declaration formally recognised the historic right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in the Land of Israel - including in the area in question.”
He pointed out that Britain “still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores”.
He added that the decision to develop the E1 corridor was made in 2025 and accused the UK government of “turning a blind eye to Palestinian terrorism, incitement and the Palestinian Authority’s continued financial support for terror - the ‘pay for slay’ policy.”
He said: “The UK Government’s systematic policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has already contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community. Continuing down this path will only make the situation worse.
“The decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate. But Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy. Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people.”
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