Israel vows to retaliate if UK imposes sanctions Nadav Rapaport on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 13:58 London threatens 'comprehensive' sanctions over Israel's plan to expand settlements in Area E1 A picture taken from the E1 corridor, a super-sensitive area of the occupied West Bank, shows the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the background on 16 April 2025 (AFP) Off Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that Israel would retaliate should the UK imposed sanctions over illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. During an interview with Israeli news outlet Ynet on Tuesday, Sa'ar was asked about the tense relationship between Israel and the UK over recent Israeli plans to further expand settlements. Sa'ar accused the Labour government of "acting systematically against Israel", adding that it has "already harmed defence exports to us and imposed sanctions on ministers". In June 2025, London imposed sanctions on Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting settler violence against Palestinians during Israel's genocide in Gaza. "If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain," Sa'ar said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push
