From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Sa’ar: Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem, boot Gaza and PA mission reps, ban certain MPs over ‘outrageous’ West Bank sanctions
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces a series of countermeasures against the United Kingdom in response to British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s announcement of what Sa’ar called a “hostile” sanctions package targeting West Bank settlements, “and following a series of anti-Israel decisions by the Labour government over the past two years.”
In a recorded statement at the Foreign Ministry, Sa’ar says he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have decided to shut the British Consulate in Jerusalem, expel British representatives from the US-backed International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, terminate the British Support Team in Ramallah tasked with training members of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, and bar 12 British elected officials and citizens “involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity.”
First speaking in Hebrew, Sa’ar calls Miliband’s accusations against Israel during his House of Commons speech “outrageous and false,” reiterating past accusations that the “severe sanctions” are being imposed “for domestic political reasons ahead of the Labour Party conference taking place this month,” calling the move “morally distorted” and a “blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its election campaign.”
“We have nothing against the British people,” Sa’ar says, echoing language used by Miliband about the Israeli public, adding, “Unfortunately, there is a hostile Labour government in office that is systematically acting against Israel, and it will leave us no choice but to respond to its hostile moves.”
In a later English statement, Sa’ar says “a boycott of goods” from the West Bank is a “despicable practice that harms hardworking, law-abiding citizens.” He warns that the move will harm Palestinian workers in the West Bank, echoing remarks made by President Isaac Herzog today.
He further says the move and past punitive measures by London are “fueling antisemitism” abroad.
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