UK Sanctions Follow Tense Diplomatic Call Over West Bank Construction Plans
A tense phone call between British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar preceded sweeping UK sanctions over West Bank settlement construction plans.
A tense phone call between British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar preceded the UK's recent announcement of sweeping sanctions against Israel. The conversation focused on the E1 construction plan, which severs the territorial contiguity between Ramallah and Bethlehem while connecting Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem. According to British officials who spoke to The New York Times, they gathered the impression from Sa'ar during the August 11 call that Israel would not issue tenders for E1 construction prior to the upcoming Knesset elections on October 27.
Construction Tenders and Diplomatic Friction
Israel has delayed the E1 plans for decades amid international concerns that construction would thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state, though final approval was granted last year. The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the British characterization of the conversation. Just a week after the call, the Israeli government published tenders for approximately 1,200 new housing units in E1, allowing construction companies to submit bids for the settlement project. British officials viewed this as a complete reversal of what they understood from Sa'ar.
"Israel must immediately halt settlement expansion and civilian administrative authorities, and ensure that someone is held accountable for settler violence," stated the joint international declaration.
International Sanctions and Policy Shifts
The construction tenders were far from the only factor leading to the sanctions. Miliband assumed office in July as part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's new government, swiftly formulating a new policy toward Israel that included potential measures against settlements. Following a joint statement, Miliband announced economic sanctions targeting West Bank settlements, joined by foreign ministers from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
