TEL AVIV, September 8, 2026 (WAFA) - Israel announced on Tuesday evening a series of measures against Britain over the set of economic sanctions imposed by London on Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank.
The measures include closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem, removing British representatives from the US-backed International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, the termination of British activities to train Palestinian Authority security forces (PASF) under the British Support Team in Ramallah, and barring 12 elected British figures from entering Israel purportedly for being “involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity,” without naming them.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the measures were taken with the knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to British steps concerning the colonies, which he described as interference in Israeli affairs and an attempt to influence the upcoming election campaign, without providing evidence to support these claims.
Sa’ar threatened to take similar measures against other countries “at the discretion” of the Israeli government, saying, “: whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them and they will lose their influence and relevance in this region.”
Sa’ar attacked the British government, accusing it of taking the measures for “domestic political reasons ahead of the Labour Party conference taking place this month,” calling the move a “blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its election campaign.”
He described the ban on colony products and sanctions against individuals and entities involved in colonial settlement expansion as a “despicable practice,” portraying the British measures as part of a broader campaign against Israel.
Sa’ar placed the latest British measures within a series of steps he said the Labour government has taken against Israel since coming to power, including recognizing the State of Palestine, resuming funding for the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), suspending some arms export licenses to Israel, imposing sanctions on Israeli Jewish supremacist ministers, individuals and entities, suspending negotiations on a free trade agreement, restricting official Israeli participation in the DSEI defense and security exhibition, and freezing military dialogue and security cooperation.
The Israeli measures come after 12 countries, including Britain, Canada and France, announced their intention to impose restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank, or support the imposition of such restrictions at the European Union level, amid escalating colonist attacks against Palestinians and mounting international pressure on Israel over its continued settlement expansion.
Earlier today, the foreign ministries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK confirmed their intention to “introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures.”
These developments come as the Israeli government continues to expand the settlement project in the occupied West Bank despite international calls to halt it, amid escalating attacks carried out by colonist militias against defenseless Palestinian civilians.
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