Image source, PA Media

As we reported a short time ago, one of Israel's four counter-measures against the UK is barring 12 British nationals from Israel, including "elected representatives".

The 12 people affected are:

1.⁠ ⁠Jeremy Corbyn MP

2.⁠ ⁠Zarah Sultana MP

3.⁠ ⁠Fahad Ansari, director of Riverway to the Sea, which calls itself a "legal training and advocacy organisation"

4.⁠ ⁠Naz Shah MP

5.⁠ ⁠Diane Abbott MP

6.⁠ ⁠Hannah Spencer MP

7.⁠ ⁠Carla Denyer MP

8.⁠ ⁠Sian Berry MP

9.⁠ ⁠Ellie Chowns MP

10.⁠ ⁠John McDonnell MP

11.⁠ ⁠Richard Burgon MP

12.⁠ ⁠Adrian Ramsay MP

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has just issued the Israeli reaction to the UK's announcement of sanctions this afternoon.

Here's what he said:

• Saar described the current UK government as a "hostile" one that was "systemically working" against Israel
• Referencing today's announcement specifically, he accuses the UK of "blatant interference" in the electoral process ahead of a general election scheduled in Israel next month
• The foreign minister further accuses the government of contributing to the rise in antisemitism
• On the development of the E1 settlement, which Miliband said earlier the UK was looking to prevent, Saar said today that there had been no new decisions on this - once more accusing the government of attempting to exert influence during an election campaign
• Four counter-measures announced by Saar include the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem and the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center - full details in our previous post

We're working to bring you further details, analysis and reaction.

Image source, EPA

Saar says that Israel will also take "counter-measures" at its discretion against other countries "that act or will act against Israel".

"The message to every government that harms us is clear: whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them and they will lose their influence and relevance in this region," he says.

With that he finishes and does not take questions.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar has just announced four "counter-measures" against the UK.

They are:

1. The closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem
2. The removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel
3. "The termination of British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria [how the Israeli government refers to the West Bank] - under the 'British Support Team in Ramallah'"
4. And: "The denial of entry to Israel to 12 British elected representatives and other British nationals involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel"

Saar calls the British boycott of Israeli goods "despicable", before going on to discuss plans for the E1 settlement east of Jerusalem, which Miliband announced he would be seeking to stop - more on that in our earlier post.

He says "no new decisions" have been made on these developments, contrary to the UK government's announcement.

The foreign minister then says Labour is making a "blatant and completely unacceptable attempt" to exert influence during an election campaign.

But, he says, the Israeli public overwhelmingly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state "in the heart of our land", something the Labour government is attempting to "force upon Israel".

Saar says the UK government chose to announce these measures on the eve of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, and ahead of Labour Party conference.

He accuses the government of "blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process" and he says it carries "echoes" of "antisemitic wars".

Labour's move is "particularly absurd", he claims, because it was the Balfour Declaration of the British government in 1917 that formally recognised "the historic right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in the land of Israel".

Now speaking in English, Saar announces a series of "Israeli countermeasures" following sanctions announced by the UK government earlier today.

He says this follows a "series of anti-Israel decisions" by the Labour government, accusing Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband of "outrageous lies".

He calls the Labour government "hostile" and says it is "systematically working against the state of Israel".

Saar, still speaking in Hebrew, says Israel will shut down the UK consulate in Jerusalem.

According to the British government, "the British Consulate General in Jerusalem represents the UK government in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza" and works on "political, commercial, security and economic interests between the UK and Palestine".

We'll have more details on this soon.

Speaking in Hebrew, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, accuses the UK government of interfering in Israel's election, which takes place at the end of October.

He says the population of Israel emphatically rejects a Palestinian state, and accuses the UK government of fuelling antisemitism.

We'll have more from his statement soon.

Image source, Israeli government

We're now hearing from Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar following the announcement of UK sanctions on illegal Israeli West Bank settlements.

He is speaking in Hebrew, and we also expect him to speak in English.

We'll be bringing you text updates on all the key points, and you can watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Reuters

The UK's sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank mark a "turning point in UK-Palestine relations", says Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot.

In a post on X, he says: "Today, Britain begins to move from condemnation to consequences, from words to action."

Zomlot says it is not possible to "recognise the state of Palestine" while "allowing its territory to be annexed".

He adds that this decision from the UK is "long overdue" and "therefore not the end, it must be the beginning".

"Britain should now lead in Europe, across the Commonwealth, and internationally, to ensure that no state, company, bank, or institution contributes to, facilitates, or profits from this illegal occupation," he adds.

• What is the West Bank, and where is it? Read our earlier post here

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Ed Miliband’s clear intention throughout that statement was to signpost a change in the UK’s approach to Israel.

The sanctions announced went further than expected – to include companies and individuals who provide services for settlement expansion and the refusal of license applications for arms that contribute to the occupation.

His language went way beyond that of Keir Starmer’s government too.

The foreign secretary said the government now agreed that activity in the West Bank amounts to “ethnic cleansing” – not something ministers would have previously said.

There was a nod too to those critics who want them to go further still.

Miliband said the government would continue to wait for the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Israel’s actions amount to genocide.

But there’s also one important factor which shows consistency, rather than change, with the Starmer government – international cooperation.

Starmer generally chose to make big foreign policy interventions alongside allies – particularly France and Canada.

This morning we weren’t sure whether that would be the case, but it has now been confirmed that others including France and Canada will also ban the import of goods from illegal settlements.

Given that, what’s still unclear is whether the UK would have joined this ban, if Starmer rather than Burmham, had still been the prime minister.

The answer to that could ultimately decide how big a shift in foreign policy this really is.

Image source, Reuters

The Jewish Leadership Council, which represents many of the UK’s Jewish organisations, has accused the government of putting an “increased target on British Jews” by banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements.

In a statement, the council described the decision as “deeply irresponsible” and alleged that the government was “yielding to pressure from the most extreme elements of British society”.

"The government's increasingly punitive and unbalanced approach towards Israel does nothing to advance peace, risks harming Jewish life in Britain, and damages the UK's relationship with a vital ally," the JLC adds.

The JLC was among the Jewish groups invited to meet Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner in Downing Street last week to discuss the issue of antisemitism in the UK ahead of the upcoming Jewish High Holy Days.

Image source, Getty Images

Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the UK's import ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements is, amongst other sanctions, a "long-awaited and positive change in Britain’s policy".

In a statement, HRW says governments have "for too long" responded to the Israeli' government's "incessant and grave violations of international law with earnest words but little action".

ActionAid UK describes the announcement as welcome and significant, if "long overdue", saying it is the UK's "first step" to "ending its complicity in Israel’s unlawful occupation".

"As state-backed settler violence reaches record levels... the UK must also take further action to hold the Israeli government accountable," a statement from the charity reads.

Amnesty International UK says the foreign secretary's announcement could be "the sea change that is needed", describing it as "hugely welcome".

"Today's measures are a genuine step towards accountability for Israel's repeated and flagrant violations of international law," it adds.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller says his party supports the foreign secretary in "robustly challenging the illegal actions" of the Israeli government.

He says this is compatible with the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist, and the "resolute support" for the rights of British Jews to live "free from the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred".

Asked if the UK will ban all arms exports to Israel, including components of F35 fighter jets, Miliband says the UK "stopped providing direct parts to Israel's F35 programme in October 2024".

"The only provision we make now is indirectly to the global supply chain," he says, adding that those that oppose this are advocating for the "downing of the whole programme", which he describes as "crucial".

Miliband said earlier France and Canada would also announce a ban on the importing of goods from illegal settlements.

A joint statement from the foreign ministers of 12 countries has just been shared, on their intentions to impose restrictions on trade with illegal settlements.

The countries are: France, the UK, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.

The statement says the two-state solution must be protected and calls on the Israeli government to immediately halt the expansion of settlements.

Tugendhat puts a number of questions to Miliband, asking what conversations he has had with allies about today's decision, and what assessment he has made of the impact on domestic security and community cohesion in UK.

Tugendhat says there is "growing antisemitism" in the UK, and increasing violence against Jewish targets.

He adds we can criticise the Israeli government while still defending the right of the Jewish people to a home, and concludes that we don't make peace from just one side, nor make it alone.

Miliband begins his response saying he profoundly disagrees with him on his conclusions.

He says Tugendhat supports and believes in a two-state solution, sees it being destroyed by his prescription is to do nothing about it.

Image source, UK Parliament

Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat is now speaking, saying the Conservatives agree with the government that the current path is leading Israelis and Palestinians towards a "darker, more dangerous future".

He says this isn't about reducing to complexity of the region to a single sentence, before adding: "Sadly, the government is in the process of doing just that."

Tugendhat says the UK's decision to recognise the state of Palestine last year goes against laws Britain has defended since 1933, adding that the economies of Palestine and Israel are so interconnected that "innocent Palestinians and Israelis will suffer".

He also says turning Israel into a "pariah" will risk a "further rise in antisemitic violence on our own streets".

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has just announced an import ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank, as well as further sanctions.

Here is what we have heard:

• Miliband announced the import ban in the Commons, stating he does not believe "the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops"
• He said a "comprehensive sanction regime" will be set up, including "appropriate religious exemptions"

• Addressing those who facilitate illegal settlements, Miliband said: "You will face the full force of UK sanctions"
• He also told MPs that the UK agrees there is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank - accusing "settler terrorists" of driving Palestinians from their land: "And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this"
• He said the view of the government is that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is "unlawful"
• "The official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful, because of Israel’s entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements," he said
• He also announced the ban of advertising illegal West Bank settlements in the UK
• "The sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel," the foreign secretary added

Miliband also announced the UK was also sanctioning a further set of "extremist settlers" who have "supported or incited act of violence" against Palestinian communities.

"I can also announce that we're extending the existing global human rights regime such that it will enable swifter action to deter settlement expansion, including crucially seeking to prevent the development of E1 [a proposed settlement east of Jerusalem]," he added.

Miliband says France and Canada will also announce a ban on the importing of goods from illegal settlements today

They will be joining the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway which have either banned goods or are in the process of doing so.

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden have pledged today they will support further action too, Miliband says.

He ends by saying this country is "a Britain that upholds its values at home and around the world, a Britain that fights against oppression and suffering wherever it occurs, a Britain that stands up for what is right".