Israel's measures against UK likely succeeded in diminishing British influence, Abrams says

Former senior US official Elliott Abrams stated that Israel's retaliatory measures against Britain for banning settlement imports were designed to make London "wince" and have likely succeeded in limiting British diplomatic influence. Abrams criticized British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's policies and warned that Britain risks losing its role in Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy.

Former senior US official Elliott Abrams said Israel's retaliatory measures against Britain for banning imports from the settlements were designed to make London "wince" and have likely succeeded in limiting British diplomatic influence. In an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, Abrams said Israel's decision to close the British Consulate in east Jerusalem and exclude Britain from diplomatic and security activity connected to the Palestinians would impair London's ability to play the global role it seeks. Among the retaliatory steps Israel announced were ordering the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem within 30 days, removing British personnel from US-led coordination efforts in Gaza, ending British training of Palestinian security forces, and barring several British figures from entering Israel. Abrams was sharply critical of British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, particularly his accusation that Israel was carrying out "ethnic cleansing" in Judea and Samaria. He said Miliband's speech would offend many British and Israeli Jews because, in slamming Israeli policy, he "relies on the fact that he's Jewish." Abrams said the sanctions were imposed according to Britain's domestic political timetable, with little consideration for the anniversary of the October 7 massacre or Israel's October 27 election. He warned that Britain risks losing its influence, citing Norway as a cautionary example of a country that lost its role when it ceased to be neutral on the Israel-Palestinian issue.