But in the UK some of the leading organisations representing the Jewish community have strongly condemned the decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, described<\/a> yesterday as \u201ctruly a dark day for British Jews\u201d. The rightwing papers are all leading their coverage on his remarks.<\/p>\n Miliband has been giving interviews this morning, and he has said he does not agree.<\/p>\n Asked about the chief rabbi\u2019s statement, Miliband told Sky News:<\/p>\n double quotation markWell, I\u2019m a proud British Jew, and I don\u2019t agree with the chief rabbi.<\/p>\n I have great respect for the chief rabbi, but I don\u2019t agree with him, and I believe that it must be possible to do what we did yesterday, which is to stand up for British values of the rule of law, of dignity for people, of the prevention of injustice, and do so in a way, as I did yesterday, to say to anyone in our country who holds British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, that is antisemitism, pure and simple.<\/p>\n We will hear from Andy Burnham<\/a> on this later at PMQs.<\/p>\n Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n 9am: Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, speaks at the Wild Summit in Bristol. Words and video planned<\/p>\n From 9am: David Anderson and Jonathan Hall, the former and current independent reviewer of terror legislation respectively, are among those giving evidence to phase two of the Southport inquiry, looking at Prevent\u2019s role in managing violence-fixated individuals.<\/p>\n 10am: Prof Alexis Jay, chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), is among the experts giving evidence to the London assembly\u2019s police and crime committee on grooming gangs.<\/p>\n Noon: Andy Burnham faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n After 12.30pm: Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, may make a Commons statement on the air traffic control chaos<\/a>. She is also opening the second reading debate on the civil aviation bill.<\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid we are no longer able to have comments open below the line every day on this blog<\/a>. If you want to contact me, please email politics.live@theguardian.com. You can use this email<\/a> to flag up corrections, comments for publication, questions or complaints.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.25 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n On Newsnight last night Nicholas Watt, the programme\u2019s political editor, said <\/a>he had been told by one cabinet minister there was a simple explanation for the Israel sanctions announcement: \u201cWe\u2019re doing things which Keir [Starmer] wouldn\u2019t let us do,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n Today Watt says the Starmerites are disputing this. He says<\/a>:<\/p>\n double quotation markAllies of Sir Keir Starmer are strongly disputing what this cabinet minister told me last night. One Starmer ally tells me that earlier this year the former prime minister asked his aides to chase Foreign Office ministers for \u201cproper advice\u201d on blocking settler trade or imposing sanctions on West Bank settlements.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was no blocker,\u201d the Starmer ally told me. They claim that the Foreign Office told them the issue was \u201ccomplicated\u201d which showed, according to that ally, that they simply \u201chad no plan\u201d.<\/p>\n The ally tells me: \u201cThere\u2019s just a lot of rewriting of history going on.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Deputy Tory leader Alex Burghart accuses Labour of ‘hypocrisy’, saying it is not taking similar action against China<\/p>\n Alex Burghart, the deputy Tory leader, was giving interviews this morning. On Israel<\/a>, he opened up a new line of attack against the government, accusing it of hypocrisy. This is what he told GB News.<\/p>\n double quotation markAt the same time that Labour were saying all these things about Israel in the House of Commons, they put out a communique.<\/p>\n They put out an account of a conversation that Andy Burnham has had with the Chinese president, and it said how constructive they wanted to be with China, how they wanted to work with China, and what a great relationship we have.<\/p>\n Now, I\u2019m not saying we should put sanctions on China, but I would point out that the Chinese over the past few decades have been guilty of some of the very worst human rights violations that we\u2019ve seen anywhere, and yet Labour\u2019s hypocrisy is capable of allowing it to have these two totally different approaches at the same time. I think that this is madness.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.53 EDT<\/p>\n Reform UK insists National Rally agreed migrant policy after backlash in France<\/p>\n Reform UK has insisted its deal with France\u2019s far-right National Rally<\/a> to return migrants back across the Channel was fully approved by the party and signed off by its president, Jordan Bardella, amid a furious backlash in France. Rowena Mason and Angelique Chrisafis have the story.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar thanks Badenoch for her ‘firm opposition’ to UK sanctions<\/p>\n Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, has thanked Kemi Badenoch for her \u201cfirm opposition\u201d to the government\u2019s sanctions against his country. They spoke last night and afterward he posted this on social media.<\/a><\/p>\n double quotation markGreat conversation this evening with UK Opposition Leader @KemiBadenoch and Shadow Foreign Secretary @TomTugendhat.<\/p>\n I thanked them for their firm opposition to the hostile Labour Government\u2019s announcement today and its series of anti-Israel policies since taking office.<\/p>\n I welcomed their support for the friendship with Israel and their commitment for the future relations between our countries. We know that we have many friends in the UK, but unfortunately we are faced with the ongoing hostility of the current Labour government.<\/p>\n I also thanked Kemi for her warm wishes ahead of the Jewish New Year.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Miliband says he is ‘confident’ that security cooperation with Israel will continue despite backlash over sanctions<\/p>\n In his interview on the Today programme, Ed Miliband also said that he was \u201cconfident our security cooperation with Israel will continue\u201d despite the sanctions.<\/p>\n The Tories are claiming the government\u2019s move puts that cooperation in jeopardy, and that British lives are at risk as a result<\/a>.<\/p>\n Asked why he was confident that there would not be a problem, \u201cgiven how angry [the Israelis] are\u201d, Miliband replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markI won\u2019t go into the details of this, but we have important intelligence and security relationships with Israel and I\u2019m confident they will continue.<\/p>\n And I was very clear yesterday that we do believe in working with our Israeli partners when it comes to the threats they face from Iran. For example, I announced new sanctions on Iran yesterday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Miliband confirms UK sanctions could hit Israeli banks dealing with West Bank settlers<\/p>\n Emma Graham-Harrison wrote a good explainer for the Guardian yesterday about the potential impact of the sanctions imposed by Ed Miliband<\/a>.<\/p>\n She explained that, while the most obvious part of the announcement relates to the ban on the import of goods produced in settlements, the measures relating to financial services are potentially much more significant.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n double quotation markMiliband highlighted that the Israeli settler population in occupied Palestine had almost tripled over the past three decades, from 270,000 in 1993 to 770,000 today.<\/p>\n That expansion is underpinned by large government subsidies. A trade ban alone would be unlikely to have much impact on the viability of construction that is a government priority, or on the broader Israeli economy.<\/p>\n However, plans to place sanctions on any company that finances or facilitates settlement expansion could force Israel\u2019s main banks and insurance companies to choose between their business interests in the UK and those in occupied Palestine.<\/p>\n Miliband has not provided details of the new measures, which he said would take between six and nine months to put in place. But they have the potential to slow or stop construction.<\/p>\n The activist Yehuda Shaul wrote in a social media post about new building projects: \u201cCompanies that bid for tenders on government-led projects, including settlement expansion, must have a financial guarantor. Without the backing of Israeli financial institutions, these projects cannot occur.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Israeli commentators have expressed doubts<\/a> as to whether, in practice, these sanctions really will cover mainstream Israeli banks. But, in his interview on the Today programme this morning, Miliband insisted they could.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI also make this wider point, because this is about a substantive intervention to make a difference to the facts on the ground.<\/p>\n With our sanctions regime, we are also seeking to cut off the supply of the supply lines of British finance, British construction, for settlement expansion. This is about a clear purpose, which is to draw a line in the sand and to stop this infinite, ever-expanding settlement expansion.<\/p>\n Asked if Israeli banks would be covered too, Miliband replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe way this works is that we sanction companies, and we don\u2019t name the companies in advance. We sanction companies that might be engaging in the occupied territories. And then it is about the relationship with British citizens and British companies.<\/p>\n When Justin Webb, the presenter, put it to Miliband that this meant the sanctions would go much wider than just applying to people \u201cselling dates\u201d, and that they would apply to companies in Israel with relationships with settler companies, Miliband replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markYes, because this is about seeking to have an impact on the services that are provided to expand the occupation.<\/p>\n And we are very serious about making a substantive difference and using the power of our sanctions regime to make a difference to the facts on the ground.<\/p>\n Ed Miliband leaving Millbank studios this morning. Photograph: Leon Neal\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in London has accused the UK of deploying a diplomatic \u201cnuclear option\u201d against his country.<\/p>\n In an interview with the Today programme this morning, Alex Gandler said:<\/p>\n double quotation markA response and a conversation between friends is something that is wanted.<\/p>\n Operating a nuclear option of sanction between democratic countries, especially towards a country that is at war for the past few years and is fighting a shared enemy in Iran, is something that is unheard of.<\/p>\n Hence, our assessment that this has nothing to do with realities on the ground and everything to do with the fact that there\u2019s politics involved.<\/p>\n Gandler also claimed the timing of the announcement was particularly bad.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe timing couldn\u2019t be worse than it is regarding Israel, as we are less than 50 days away from elections in the country, days away from our high holidays in Israel.<\/p>\n It definitely does not promote the relationship between Israel and the United Kingdom, that is for sure, and it does create an atmosphere for violence against Jews.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The BBC\u2019s Tom Bateman has posted this on social media<\/a>. It is the sign outside the UK consulate in Jerusalem that Israel is now closing. (See 9.21am<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Sign outside UK consulate in Jerusalem Photograph: Tom Bateman<\/p>\n Bateman says:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe very long standing sign that used to be on the wall in the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Israel has said it will close the consulate in retaliation for the UK\u2019s trade ban on settlements<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In his interview with Sky News this morning, Miliband sidestepped a question about what Washington is telling the UK government about its decision to impose sanctions on Israel relating to the illegal West Bank<\/a> settlements.<\/p>\n Miliband said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019ll let our American friends speak for themselves.<\/p>\n We obviously talked to them in advance of our announcement.<\/p>\n You know, I think the whole international community has been quite frustrated, to put it mildly, with some of the actions of the Israeli government.<\/p>\n I will let them say what they feel, but I think there is real concern about what is happening \u2026 Underlying so many of the conflicts in the Middle East is this failure to really grasp the situation between Israel and Palestine, and this is why it\u2019s in our interest to act.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.38 EDT<\/p>\n Miliband plays down significance of Israel’s retaliatory measures, saying UK sanctions still ‘right thing to do’<\/p>\n In his interview with Sky News this morning, Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, said that he regretted the fact that Israel is ordering the UK to close its consulate in Jerusalem in response to the UK sanctions<\/a>. But he said the government had weighed up \u201cthe costs and benefits\u201d of its move in advance.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I\u2019m proud of what we did yesterday and it was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n It will be damaging, that\u2019s true, but we weighed up the costs and the benefits in advance of this.<\/p>\n And we did something very important. We talked to the representatives of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian prime minister, the representative here, and they both said to us with a very clear voice, you need to act from our point of view.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markI would prefer that Israel hadn\u2019t announced what it did, but overall, I strongly believe that what we did, along with other international allies, was absolutely the right thing to do.<\/p>\n Ed Miliband leaving the Millbank broadcasting studios at Westminster this morning, after doing TV and radio interviews. Photograph: Leon Neal\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Miliband defends sanctions on Israeli settlements and pushes back against chief rabbi\u2019s criticism<\/p>\n Good morning. Yesterday Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, made what may turn out to be one of the most important Commons statements of the year. Here is our overnight report by Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey.<\/p>\n Here is an analysis by Patrick Wintour, the Guardian\u2019s diplomatic editor.<\/p>\n And here is the Guardian\u2019s editorial.<\/p>\n It starts: \u201cRarely in recent years has the Commons felt like the cockpit of history. On Tuesday it did.\u201d<\/p>\n Ministers were worried about a backlash from Donald Trump. So far, that has not happened, and in the US Axios is reporting <\/a>that, when Andy Burnham spoke to Trump on Monday, \u201ctwo sources with knowledge of the call said Trump didn\u2019t push back or ask Burnham to change course\u201d. In his report for Axios, Barak Ravid says: \u201cUS officials told their British counterparts they shared their concerns about the Netanyahu government\u2019s West Bank policy, even if they disagreed with these specific sanctions, sources say.\u201d<\/p>\n But in the UK some of the leading organisations representing the Jewish community have strongly condemned the decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, described<\/a> yesterday as \u201ctruly a dark day for British Jews\u201d. The rightwing papers are all leading their coverage on his remarks.<\/p>\n Mail splash Photograph: Daily Mail<\/p>\n Miliband has been giving interviews this morning, and he has said he does not agree.<\/p>\n Asked about the chief rabbi\u2019s statement, Miliband told Sky News:<\/p>\n double quotation markWell, I\u2019m a proud British Jew, and I don\u2019t agree with the chief rabbi.<\/p>\n I have great respect for the chief rabbi, but I don\u2019t agree with him, and I believe that it must be possible to do what we did yesterday, which is to stand up for British values of the rule of law, of dignity for people, of the prevention of injustice, and do so in a way, as I did yesterday, to say to anyone in our country who holds British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, that is antisemitism, pure and simple.<\/p>\n We will hear from Andy Burnham<\/a> on this later at PMQs.<\/p>\n Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n 9am: Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, speaks at the Wild Summit in Bristol. Words and video planned<\/p>\n From 9am: David Anderson and Jonathan Hall, the former and current independent reviewer of terror legislation respectively, are among those giving evidence to phase two of the Southport inquiry, looking at Prevent\u2019s role in managing violence-fixated individuals.<\/p>\n 10am: Prof Alexis Jay, chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), is among the experts giving evidence to the London assembly\u2019s police and crime committee on grooming gangs.<\/p>\n Noon: Andy Burnham faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n After 12.30pm: Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, may make a Commons statement on the air traffic control chaos<\/a>. She is also opening the second reading debate on the civil aviation bill.<\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid we are no longer able to have comments open below the line every day on this blog<\/a>. If you want to contact me, please email politics.live@theguardian.com. You can use this email<\/a> to flag up corrections, comments for publication, questions or complaints.<\/p>\n![\"Mail](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1034.jpg\")
Mail splash Photograph: Daily Mail<\/p>\n