Gideon Sa'ar at a press conference on Tuesday. Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem, bar elected officials from entering country
Responding to Miliband's announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced a series of countermeasures, including the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem, removing British representatives from the base in central Israel that monitors the Gaza truce, ending British activities to train Palestinian Authority security forces, and barring 12 elected representatives, officials and nationals from entering Israel.
Sa'ar called his British counterpart's accusations "outrageous lies" and said the measures were "morally distorted" and amounted to "blatant interference" in Israel's affairs and electoral process.
The minister went on to accuse Britain of ignoring Palestinian terrorism and argued that the new measures would directly harm Palestinians, including tens of thousands of Palestinian workers employed in Israeli settlements.
Prior to Miliband's statement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned that banning trade with settlements would amount to "blatant interference" in Israel's election and said "sanctions are not a solution. Dialogue is." For their part, National Security Minister Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to recognize Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called to expel London's envoy from Israel.
https://www.haaretz.com/west-bank/2026-09-08/ty-article/.premium/israel-bars-u-k-officials-closes-jerusalem-consulate-in-response-to-sanctions/000001a0-8195-d705-adfa-a5fd5f790000