UK plans measures against Israeli settlements as Sa’ar warns of response

Britain is preparing a package of measures targeting Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to warn that Israel could respond with measures of its own.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said London would announce a “comprehensive” package of measures concerning Israeli settlements in the coming weeks.

Miliband warned that continued settlement expansion, particularly plans in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state and prospects for a two-state solution.

In response, Sa’ar warned that Israel would retaliate if Britain takes measures against it.

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“If Britain takes action against Israel, we will respond,” Sa’ar said, adding: “We have the tools.” He did not specify what measures Israel could take.

The exchange comes amid renewed international criticism of Israeli plans to expand settlement construction in E1, a strategically sensitive area of the West Bank between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.

Palestinians and several foreign governments argue that construction in E1 would further fragment the West Bank and undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state. Israel maintains that it has the right to develop the area.

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