The British embassy in Tel Aviv may have breached UK sanctions law and government security policies by employing an Israeli citizen who owns a home in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to legal experts.
Gila Ben-Yakov Phillips, the embassy's deputy head of corporate services and HR, moved to Kerem Reim in 2022 and listed a house she bought there as her home address on financial documents. The settlement, north of Ramallah, was built by Amana, a construction company that was sanctioned by the UK last year for supporting violence against Palestinians.
Although Ben-Yakov Phillips bought the house from previous residents before the sanctions were imposed, residents of Amana projects pay monthly fees to the company. Legal experts say any payment, no matter how small, could constitute a sanctions breach under UK law, which has no de minimis exception.
While Ben-Yakov Phillips, as a non-British citizen, is not directly subject to sanctions laws, foreign citizens working at embassies must comply with UK sanctions law to obtain security clearances. Her role, which involves financial oversight and handling sensitive data, would typically require vetting.
The embassy itself may also be in breach if her salary contributes to payments to Amana, said Sara Segneri, a sanctions law specialist. She added that the embassy should investigate whether funds paid to the employee are being used to pay sanctioned entities.
Kerem Reim, established as an outpost violating international law, was retroactively authorised by Israel in 2017 but remains illegal under international law. The UK government has not commented on the matter.
