UK settlement measures draw Palestinian welcome and a consulate dispute with Israel

Mixed · 2Britain has announced plans to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and to restrict businesses that support their construction and expansion. 1 2 Centre · 1Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot told Anadolu the shift was "a very good start" and "very real and not just words", and said the priority now is enforcement and implementation. 1 Centre · 1Zomlot wants the restrictions to cover financing, promotion and insurance and wants sanctions on Israeli state bodies he says support or finance settlements. He credited public pressure for the change. 1

Centre · 1Anadolu reports that the government has set a six- to nine-month timetable for the underlying legislation. It says Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said the measures target settlements, not trade with Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries. 1 Centre · 1Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the British consulate general in East Jerusalem closed by 8 October, after a 30-day deadline. Israel also announced restrictions on other British activities, including Gaza aid coordination, training for Palestinian Authority security forces and entry bans on British citizens. 1 Mixed · 2On 8 October Miliband said the building would stay open as the "UK Mission, Jerusalem". Some staff had been withdrawn. Britain says Israel has no legal right to close the mission, and it said it would refrain from reciprocal action while credible discussions continue. 1 2

Centre · 1Zomlot said Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem, called the move against the British presence "a very illegal act", and urged London not to accept it. 1 Right · 1In a Jerusalem Post opinion piece, Tova Herzl, a former Israeli ambassador, says both governments can claim victory. She notes Israel can say there is no longer a British consulate, and Britain says the building stays open. 2 Right · 1Herzl writes that the British move was driven partly by pressure from Labour supporters, and that Israel's retaliation was also political. She says settlement exports are about 1% of Israeli exports, but that the principle matters, because the territories remain occupied under international law. 2

Right · 1Herzl says Britain had hinted at expelling 27 Israeli diplomats, matching the number of British diplomats told to leave, which she calls inconceivable over a political disagreement. She urges Israel to treat the British step as a warning rather than dismiss criticism as antisemitic. 2 Centre · 1Anadolu places the shift in context. It notes the Sunak government's strong backing of Israel, then Starmer-era arms licence suspensions, sanctions on two Israeli ministers and recognition of Palestinian statehood. It says the current government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged broader action against economic support for settlements. 1