Ed Miliband has rejected criticism from Britain's chief rabbi after the government announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements. The UK was among 12 countries backing the move, which has sparked fury in Israel. Mr Miliband said announcing the measures in response to settler violence in the West Bank was "the right thing to do".
He said he disagrees with chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who branded it a "truly dark day for British Jews" and said the measure would embolden those who stir up hatred. In a dramatic hardening of the UK's stance toward Israel, Mr Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" in the West Bank.
Imports ban and reaction
Mr Miliband said imports of produce from Israeli settlements would be banned, including products like dates, mangoes, avocados, grapes and herbs, as well as olive oil and kosher wine. The Foreign Secretary told Sky News: "I'm a proud British Jew and I don't agree with the chief rabbi. I have great respect for the chief rabbi, but I don't agree with him.
"And I believe that it must be possible to do what we did yesterday, which is to stand up for British values of the rule of law, of dignity for people, of the prevention of injustice, and do so in a way, as I did yesterday, to say to anyone in our country who holds British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government: that is anti-Semitism, pure and simple."
Israeli retaliation and broader concerns
He also said he regrets Israel's furious response to the sanctions, which saw it close the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Mr Miliband said: "I regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I'm proud of what we did yesterday and it was the right thing to do."
He said: "It will be damaging, that's true, but we weighed up the costs and the benefits in advance of this. And we did something very important. We talked to the representatives of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian prime minister, the representative here, and they both said to us with a very clear voice, you need to act from our point of view."
Following the government's announcement of sanctions on Monday, Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: "The measures announced amount to little more than political flag bearing for mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric and those who harbour a dangerous obsession with the Jewish State. These measures will succeed only in bolstering the very extremism they seek to target."
The measure had been expected to spark fury from Donald Trump - but the unpredictable US President has yet to respond. Mr Miliband said: "I'll let our American friends speak for themselves. We obviously talked to them in advance of our announcement. You know, I think the whole international community has been quite frustrated, to put it mildly, with some of the actions of the Israeli government."
Prime Minister's support and retaliatory measures
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the sanctions are "the right thing to do". He said they are aimed "not at the Israeli people", but at bringing peace in the region. He stated: "The Israeli people are not responsible for the actions of their government. And nor is the Jewish community in the UK. Blaming British Jews for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government is wrong, plain and simple. And it is antisemitism, plain and simple."
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar announced that the UK's consulate in Jerusalem would be closed as part of a package of retaliatory measures. He also said Israel would ban 11 MPs and a campaigner involved in what he claimed was "antisemitic and anti-Israel activity" from entry to the country. They include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott, as well as all five Green Party MPs. Mr Saar said he had spoken to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Tuesday night and thanked her for her opposition to the "hostile Labour Government's announcement".
