UK Announces ‘Reset’ in Relations with Israel Over West Bank Settlements

The UK government has announced plans to “reset” its relations with Israel over Tel Aviv’s continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to outline the new measures in Parliament, with reports indicating that the package could include a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The move comes amid growing international criticism of Israel’s settlement policy and a recent increase in settler violence against Palestinians. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.

Israel has previously warned that it could retaliate against Britain if London imposed additional measures. In response to the expected British policy shift, far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir called for retaliatory action against the UK, focusing on Britain’s control of the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. Smotrich accused the British government of hypocrisy and said the era of the British Mandate had ended, while Ben Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sanction Britain and recognize the islands as Argentine territory. Both ministers also called for the expulsion of the British ambassador from Israel.

The British decision represents a significant shift in relations between Israel and one of its longstanding Western allies. It comes as international pressure over Israeli policies in the West Bank continues to mount, particularly amid increasing settler attacks and violence against Palestinians. The West Bank is internationally recognized as territory intended to form part of a future Palestinian state, making Israel’s settlement expansion a major point of contention in international diplomacy.