UK: Expelling us from Gaza coordination center would ‘undermine’ peace efforts

The United Kingdom warned on Friday that expelling its representatives from the US-led coordination center for postwar Gaza, located in southern Israel, would “undermine” efforts to improve the situation in the war-torn Strip.

The warning followed reports the previous day that Jerusalem was considering expelling British officials from the center amid a growing spat over the expansion of Israel’s controversial E1 settlements plan, which would impede territorial contiguity between major Palestinian population centers.

“The UK is committed to the implementation of the 20-Point Plan in Gaza and playing our part in improving the situation on the ground,” a UK government spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that the UK has maintained a presence at the Gaza coordination center “at the request of the United States and the Board of Peace” and planned to continue working there, “with the US, Israel, international partners and UN agencies in support of UNSCR 2803,” referring to a 2025 Security Council resolution endorsing the American plan.

“Removing the UK or other partners would undermine these shared efforts,” the spokesperson added.

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Israel was considering booting British officials from the International Gaza Support Center. A source familiar with the matter later confirmed the report to The Times of Israel and said that “other measures” against London were also being considered.

Two people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that if Israel wants to remove international representatives from the center, it would require permission from the US-backed Board of Peace. However, a third individual told the newspaper that Israel had the right to decide who remained in its territory. The center is located in Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel.

On Tuesday, Sa’ar announced that Dutch representatives would be expelled from the center after a series of “anti-Israel measures” by the Netherlands.

The move to expel British officials is being weighed amid a spat between Israel and the United Kingdom over London’s reported plans to impose a complete ban on trade in goods from West Bank settlements along with other punitive measures in response to the expansion of Israel’s controversial E1 settlement plan.

The planned E1 expansion would connect the Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim areas, effectively scuttling the prospect of contiguous Palestinian sovereignty between the population centers of Bethlehem, East Jerusalem and Ramallah — long considered the basis of a future Palestinian state.

The project was frozen for years amid fierce opposition from the international community, including past US administrations, which feared that building a new settlement neighborhood on the mostly empty tract of land would rule out the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Supporters of the E1 settlement expansion say they want to block Palestinian statehood. Last week, the government opened bidding for the construction of seven residential compounds with 1,234 housing units in the E1 area, after greenlighting construction of roughly 3,400 units last August.

Miliband called the plan “unacceptable and destructive” in a written statement last week, and said his office was working to prepare a “comprehensive set of measures” in response, including sanctions against “those who participate in illegal settlement expansion.”

Sa’ar hit back at Miliband, calling his statement “patronizing,” and accused the British government of contributing “to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community” and harming the UK-Israeli relationship.

British media reported Wednesday that new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham was preparing to announce a complete trade ban on goods from West Bank settlements in response to the E1 plan.

At the same time, The Times reported Burnham could also enact sanctions against far-right ministers in the Israeli government and against individual settlers. The UK already sanctions and bans entry to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Burnham, who entered 10 Downing Street on July 20, has taken a harder line against Israel than his predecessor, Keir Starmer.

In a leadership campaign video earlier this year, he said Britain should “do more to put pressure on the Israeli government,” including by considering further restrictions on arms exports and action against West Bank settlements.

Nava Freiberg and agencies contributed to this report.