UK politics live: US hits out at ‘irrational’ Britain over Israeli West Bank sanctions

Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat previously said the plans could put Britain’s national security at risk and make it harder to fight terrorism.

He told the Telegraph: “It’s worth remembering that Israel is one of our most important intelligence partners, and has been for many, many years.

“I can tell you, as security minister, a lot of incidents did not happen because of co-operation with intelligence sources in Israel, who helped us to protect British people from terror attacks.”

The US ambassador to Israel said UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank are “an irrational action” and “discrimination against the Jewish people”.

Mike Huckabee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he had “not personally” spoken to President Donald Trump about the policy this week.

The Republican politician said: “This is an irrational action. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t understand what it’s supposed to achieve.

“If the UK is really interested in dealing with issues they feel like are wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China, Russia? Where are the sanctions against many other nations in the world?

“I feel like that it’s a discrimination against the Israeli government, it’s discrimination against the Jewish people and I don’t understand the rationale of it.”

He added: “I don’t know if they have thought through, it’s like throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land.

“And I realise, look, the UK is a sovereign country, they can do what they want, but so is the US.”

Asked about the intervention, Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told BBC Newsnight: “From a terrorism perspective, I mean, obviously one’s got to think about international cooperation.”

He added: “That is a really big deal, particularly with Iran, thinking about intelligence. On the other hand, I suppose it’s also true to say that some settler violence does amount to terrorism.”

Mr Hall also expressed concern about the potential impact on Britain’s Jewish communities, adding: “I think there is a risk that if you stir the pot by making Israel a pariah state, then that will bring that flame up again, which we saw.

“Remember, it was only a year ago that there was the attack at Heaton Park. And I’ve been very worried about de-legitimising anyone who’s Israeli, certainly, and Jews, many of whom support Israel, and painting a bit of a target on the back.

“Now, I’m sure the government will be very careful, I hope they will be, in the way in which they describe this, but that is a concern.”

Labour lost the support of many of its left-wing backers under Sir Keir Starmer over his initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel in 2023.

Prime minister Andy Burnham, who was among senior party figures to have called for a ceasefire by late October that year, previously suggested he would change the Government’s approach to the conflict soon after coming to office in July.

He has voiced particular concerns about the E1 settlement, where Israel has given final approval for a controversial project that would effectively separate the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem.

The honorary vice-chairman of Labour Friends of Israel said he warned Ed Miliband that sanctions carry “a real risk of increased chances of attacks on the British Jewish community”.

Labour MP Peter Prinsley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My fear is that opponents of Israel won’t distinguish between Israeli government policy, Zionistic political philosophy, and British Jews.

“As far as they’re concerned, the whole thing’s the same, and I think it carries a real risk of increased chances of attacks on the British Jewish community.

“Which is exactly what I said to Ed Miliband when I was asked to see him two or three nights ago.

“I think the timing is terrible. I think we need to wait for the result of the Israeli election, and then we need to have another think.”

Mr Prinsley added: “We must do whatever we can to preserve the two-state solution, and I think the behaviour of the presently-elected Israeli government is really outrageous in this respect. I have a horrible feeling that what we’re doing will not only embolden the present government of Netanyahu, but has the capacity to influence the election itself, which is on a knife edge.”

New sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements are “specifically targeted” and not intended to be a “boycott of all Israeli goods”, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said.

Asked how it would be possible to tell whether goods come from settlements in the West Bank or the rest of Israel and to address concerns this could amount to an overall boycott by the back door, he told Sky News: “The foreign secretary will set out details of how this will operate when he stands up in Parliament this afternoon.

“But I think it’s also important to say that Israel is an important trading partner for the UK. This isn’t intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods.”

He added: “It’s measures specifically targeted at the expansion of these settlements, which are illegal under international law, in the West Bank.”

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has rejected the accusation of “Jew hate” from US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

He told Sky News: “I fundamentally reject that. When it comes to the Jewish community in the UK, this is a really important part of our society.

“I want Jewish people in the UK to be able to live their lives freely in education, in work, in worship, in all aspects of their lives, and I and every Government minister would condemn any attacks on the Jewish community here in the UK.”

Israel has already threatened to retaliate if the UK imposes sanctions over the potential expansion of settlements in the West Bank, with foreign minister Gideon Saar warning: “If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s hard-line public security minister, called on the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly recognise the Falkland Islands as “Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people”.

He wrote on X: “The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people.

“I call upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.”

A government minister has insisted today’s sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements will not amount to a boycott of all Israeli goods.

Work and pensions minister Pat McFadden was questioned on how to government will be able to differentiate between goods from Israeli settlements and others from Israel itself.

Asked if the policy could result in a “boycott of Israeli products by the backdoor”, he told Sky News: “We don’t want to do that. The foreign secretary will set out the details of how this will operate when he stands up in Parliament this afternoon.

“But I think it’s also important to say that Israel is an important trading partner for the UK.

“This isn’t intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the Government’s announcement on sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank was “performative posturing”.

The Conservative MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We think it’s performative posturing.

“It’s very difficult to distinguish goods that come from the West Bank area versus the rest of Israel. So practically, it’s very difficult to implement.

“It also risks damaging an important security relationship because we do rely, the UK relies, on Israel for vital information and intelligence about terrorist threats.

“But I would also like to say, that said, we do oppose the building of settlements on land which is Palestinian, whether that’s sponsored by the Israeli state or simply allowed to happen, because we do think a two-state solution is the right solution, and building settlements on Palestinian land is obviously wrong.

“But this performative sanctions is not the right thing to do.”