Behind the sanctions on Israel: The heated conversation between Sa'ar and Miliband

A New York Times investigation reveals that a conversation between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband led to a severe diplomatic crisis. London understood that Sa'ar signaled that construction in E1 would not proceed before the elections, but a week later tenders were published, and Britain moved to sanctions. The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the claims.

A New York Times investigation reveals the behind-the-scenes of the diplomatic crisis between Israel and Britain, which began with a conversation between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. According to the investigation, London understood that Sa'ar signaled that construction in the E1 area would not proceed before the elections, but a week later the tenders were published, and Britain moved to sanctions. The Israeli Foreign Ministry vehemently denied the claims and stated that Minister Sa'ar clarified in the conversation that there would be no changes on the ground itself before the elections, and that the publication of the tenders is a technical step for a project approved over a year ago. Miliband's harsh speech, in which he accused the settlers of ethnic cleansing, led to an angry response from Sa'ar, who claimed that Britain is succumbing to pressures from jihadists, Islamists, and anti-Semites, and threatened an Israeli response that would include closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem. The crisis reflects the lowest point in decades in relations between the two allies.