Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned Britain on Tuesday that Israel is prepared to respond if London moves ahead with sanctions over Israeli construction plans in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim.
“If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain," Sa’ar said in an excerpt from a Hebrew-language podcast interview with Ynet.
Sa’ar said Israel is not taking the possibility of British sanctions lightly and accused the UK government of allowing domestic political considerations to shape its policy toward Israel.
“There is a government there that is systematically acting against Israel. It has already harmed defense exports to us and imposed sanctions on ministers. What guides it is its domestic politics, and at the end of the month the Labour Party conference is convening," he said.
When asked what measures Israel could take in response, Sa’ar did not provide details but made clear that preparations were already underway.
“Why hint at it? What I’ve said is enough. We are preparing. If they make a mistake, there will be a response," he replied.
The warning came hours after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told lawmakers that Israel's planned development in E1 represented “the crossing of a red line." He argued that construction there would divide territory sought by the Palestinian Arabs for a future state and “risks making a Palestinian state unviable."
“This government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution," he said. “We will act and I will set out a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks."
Relations between Jerusalem and London have deteriorated in recent weeks following the publication of a tender for seven residential compounds in E1 comprising 1,234 housing units. The projects are part of approximately 3,400 housing units approved for the area last August.
Miliband was quick to condemn the tender and demanded that it be withdrawn. He said at the time he had confronted Sa’ar over the issue and that Britain's Foreign Office had summoned Israel's Chargé d’Affaires.
He also warned that additional measures were being prepared against Israel.
"Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the two-state solution. In the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set 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," the UK Foreign Secretary declared.
Sa’ar dismissed Britain's criticism, objecting both to Miliband's position and to the language he used. He also accused Britain of double standards.
"Britain itself still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores. 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."
Sa’ar further disputed London's characterization of the E1 tender as the result of a new Israeli decision.
"There have been no new decisions regarding development in E1. The decision was made in 2025. The tender process has been underway for several months, with certain tender documents published only in recent days. The British Foreign Secretary’s statement is entirely one-sided."
The dispute also drew criticism from Britain's Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis. Last week, Rabbi Mirvis met with Miliband and urged him to reconsider planned British sanctions and trade restrictions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. He warned that the measures could undermine prospects for peace and have negative consequences for British Jews.
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