Miliband says UK had to 'call out' Israeli West Bank settlements - BBC

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Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says the UK had to "call out" Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank before it was "too late" to save the two-state solution

He tells the BBC the prospect of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is "being destroyed by the facts on the ground"

He also rejects the chief rabbi's claim that British sanctions could lead to increased antisemitism for Jewish people in the UK

Miliband made it clear he felt now was the moment to act against Israel as it continues expanding into the West Bank, writes our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet

On Tuesday, Miliband told Parliament the UK would ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank

Miliband also said "settler terrorists" were carrying out "ethnic cleansing" - accusing the Israeli government of turning a "blind eye"

Within hours, Israel responded with four "counter-measures" against the UK - including the closure of the UK consulate in Jerusalem, which is expected to shut in the next 30 days

Edited by Kieran Kelly, with Yolande Knell and Lucy Williamson reporting from Jerusalem

After a day of diplomatic drama on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has defended the decision to sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank - insisting the UK could not remain "silent or passive" over the issue.

He tells the BBC the prospect of a two-state solution is "being destroyed" by Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied territory - pointing to plans for a settlement which will effectively divide the area.

He also rejected that the sanctions announcement was, as the chief rabbi described, "a dark day for British Jews" - here's a reminder of what else the foreign secretary has said this morning.

In response to UK sanctions, Israel has banned 11 MPs from entering the country, while the UK consulate in Jerusalem is expected to shut in the next 30 days.

We have never heard a UK foreign secretary use stark language like "ethnic cleansing" and "settler terrorists" before, writes our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet.

We are now ending our live coverage. You can read more about the latest in the Middle East in our main story here.

An Israeli minister has written to the head of the country's border control, recommending that several British-linked organisations and individuals are banned from the country.

The list, submitted by Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, includes Oxfam, Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

The letter singles out several individuals including Professor Nick Maynard from MAP, and Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The Diaspora Ministry cannot bar individuals from entering Israel, but their recommendations are often accepted by the Population and Immigration Authority.

Image source, House of Commons

Over in Westminster, Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Britain is showing leadership by imposing new sanctions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Speaking during PMQs, he says leadership is about taking action and that PMs on both sides of the chamber have been talking about a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine for decades.

"Britain has to stand for something. Britain has to show leadership. Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice," he says.

You can follow PMQs live here.

Earlier this week, the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there would "without a doubt" be a strong US reaction to the UK's decision.

He told the BBC action could be taken by individual US states as well as at a central, federal level, warning of a "huge economic impact on British businessess".

Huckabee also told questioned whether the UK was aware that “25% of pharmaceuticals that are used in the UK are made in Israel”.

We can't find this figure in any official UK statistics. Douglas Alexander told the Commons in 2025 when he was trade minister that “one in eight of the prescribed drugs available through the National Health Service is provided by an Israeli company”.

Alexander may have been referring to Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli firm that manufactures drugs across Europe, including in the UK.

According to data published by the Office for National Statistics, the UK imported £27.6bn worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products from across the world in 2025.