The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, issued a serious warning to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, stating that his country will respond with reprisals if Andy Burnham's government approves sanctions against Israel for the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including the project in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem.
In an interview granted to the Israeli portal Ynet, Saar emphasized that Israel will not stand idly by in the face of potential punitive measures from London. "If the United Kingdom acts against Israel, Israel will act against the United Kingdom," stated the head of Israeli diplomacy, stressing that the country has "tools" to respond if necessary.
The minister insisted that in the United Kingdom "there is a government that systematically acts against Israel." "It has already harmed defense exports and imposed sanctions on ministers," he added, before emphasizing that it would be "a serious mistake" for the British government to proceed with the new package of sanctions.
Saar's statements come after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the government will present a set of measures in the coming weeks in response to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, an initiative that is expected to include a ban on the trade of products from these enclaves.
Before the House of Commons, Miliband defended that "this government will not allow the destruction of the two-state solution. We will act and present a comprehensive plan of measures in the coming weeks," he also recalled that "Israeli settlements are illegal" under international law and condemned the violence exercised by settlers.
The cabinet led by Andy Burnham thus maintains the critical line of the previous Labour government of Keir Starmer regarding the settlement program in the West Bank approved by the Israeli government more than a year ago, which London blames for undermining peace prospects.
In parallel, Israel recently expelled the Netherlands from the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), the multinational mechanism responsible for overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza resulting from the agreement reached in October 2025, after The Hague approved a law banning the trade of products originating from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
From the field of human rights, the director of Economic Affairs of Amnesty International (AI) in the United Kingdom, Peter Frankental, has positively assessed the "commitment" of the British Government, although he has warned that "the key" to its effectiveness will lie in the specific design of the measures.
"A ban that only covers goods or only imports, that leaves services and investments intact, or that lacks real tools to enforce it, will not achieve the total ban required by International Law and that is necessary for Israel to be held accountable," he has indicated. The organization maintains that any effective veto must include goods, services, and investments and be accompanied by strict control mechanisms, which is why it has asked London to be precise in the definitions and in the scope of the future regulations.