The UK has clashed with Israel over a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
Ed Miliband , the foreign secretary, called the country’s move to seek bidders to build 1,200 homes as part of the E1 settlement project an “unacceptable and destructive act”. He said the UK would not “stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution”.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, hit back, accusing the UK of a “patronising tone” and an “absurd” stance.
Mr Miliband said the UK’s opposition to the E1 settlement project, which he said puts the two-state solution at risk by separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem, had been clear both in public and privately.
He said he had told Mr Sa’ar “that the Israeli government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion”. The Foreign Office also summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires, the country’s most senior diplomat, to set out the UK’s “profound objection to this move”.
Mr Miliband said the UK remained committed to supporting 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.”
He added that in the coming weeks the UK would set out a series 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”.
Mr Sa’ar accused Mr Miliband of being “entirely one-sided” and said he rejected his statement and “the patronising tone of his words”.
On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “It is absurd for Britain to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic tiny homeland, when the Jewish people’s connection and right to this land is the most extensively documented of any people in human history.
“There have been no new decisions regarding development in E1. The decision was made on 2025. The tender process has been under way for several months, with certain tender documents published only in recent days.”
Mr Sa’ar said the UK’s policy of “blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism” had contributed to antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community.
He added: “The UK government’s 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.”
Later on Thursday the UK, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement in which they urged Israel to “retract” its plans and warned businesses not to bid for construction tenders.
The statement warned: “International law is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal...At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.
“We urge the government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank... businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.”
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