UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters (X)
“The British Mandate in the Land of Israel is over,” Smotrich wrote.
By World Israel News Staff
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Monday night for the immediate expulsion of Britain’s ambassador to Israel after reports that London is preparing to announce sweeping economic measures targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as early as Tuesday.
“Expel the British ambassador tonight!” Smotrich wrote on X. “The British Mandate in the Land of Israel is over.”
“There will be no economic coercion by an antisemitic government in a country conquered by radical Islam that is trying to save itself from economic and social decline by persecuting the Jews and the State of Israel,” he added.
The New York Times reported Monday that Britain is preparing broad restrictions that could include a ban on trade in goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. Sanctions against companies involved in settlement construction are also reportedly under consideration. The announcement could come as early as Tuesday.
The looming measures are the latest escalation in an increasingly bitter dispute between Jerusalem and London over Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, particularly the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband recently condemned Israel’s advancement of plans for 1,234 homes in E1 as an “unacceptable and destructive act” and warned that Britain was preparing a “comprehensive set of measures” in response.
Miliband subsequently told Parliament that London was examining its broader economic relationship with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, saying Britain did not want British companies “financing, constructing or advertising new settlements.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar fired back last week, accusing the British government of “systematically acting against Israel” and warning that Jerusalem would retaliate if London moved forward with punitive measures.
“If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain,” Sa’ar said. “We are preparing. If they make a mistake, there will be a response.”
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