Israel announces counter-measures to UK sanctions

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1:55Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service studios in central London. I'm Tim Franks. And we're beginning with a story where a physically changing landscape has led today to a markedly different diplomatic landscape. The physical changes have been taking place ever since Israel, in the wake of the war of 1967 with its Arab neighbours, captured swathes of territory beyond what had been the existing armistice line. That included land which some religious Jews see as part of their biblical patrimony, the area most of the world refers to as the West Bank. And what's been happening since 1967, but hugely accelerating over the last few years, has been the presence of Israelis, many of them hardline nationalists in settlements.

2:41It's thought there are about half a million in the West Bank, a further quarter of a million in East Jerusalem. And under this increase in the number of settlements and settlers, the most right-wing Israeli government in the country's history, there's been a huge upsurge in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which is why the British government, followed by 11 other countries today, announced that there had to be a change in language and approach to this settlement enterprise. The British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, used some strong language in Parliament. Ethnic cleansing is defined by the UN as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

3:29The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists. And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians. Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, I recognise the gravity of saying this, but the truth is, it is the least the people who face such suffering deserve, and it should be the prelude to justice. Mr Miliband also said that the UK government was today willing to follow the ruling in 2024 from the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice, that the entire occupation by Israel was unlawful.

4:16lawful. Our position is not just an overdue statement of reality. The government believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationships we choose to have with the occupied territories. I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets. So I can announce today that we will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. To do so, we will introduce a new comprehensive sanctions regime, working with my right honourable friend, the Business Secretary, with appropriate religious exemptions.

4:53And as part of this regime, we will go further. We will take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services, such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate, for settlement expansion. So to those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this. you will face the full force of UK sanctions. Ed Miliband was still speaking to members of Parliament in the House of Commons when his counterpart, the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, appeared before elected in Jerusalem and hit back. Describing the British government's move to sanction settlements as a blatant interference in Israel's forthcoming general election, he said it was all based on outrageous lies.

5:36And so Mr Saar announced a series of retaliatory measures. the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem. United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, will always remain the capital of Israel, and is under its full sovereignty. Any activity by a foreign state within it must be carried out with the consent of the state of Israel. Second, the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Ghat. Third, the termination of British activities to train Palestinian authority forces in Judea and Samaria under the British support team in Ramallah. Fourth, the denial of entry to Israel to 12 British elected officials, elected representatives, and other British nationals involved in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the state of Israel.

6:43Gideon Saar speaking in Jerusalem. Just be clear about that first measure, the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. That acts as an embassy for British nationals in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. As far as we know, no Israeli government has ever tried to close a consulate. So it is a pretty dramatic move. Let's go back to the sanctions, though. How are they likely to work? Tom Keating is the director of the Centre for Finance and Security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute think tank. When it comes to British trade with Israeli settlements in particular, how big a deal is that?

7:19Well, to be honest, I don't think it's a particularly big deal in terms of numbers. I mean, UK trade with Israel, of course, is important in certain areas like medicines. but it's I think less than half of a percent of UK trade overall. I think to be honest the bigger issue is the messaging. I mean you look at the way the Israelis have reacted, you look at the way the UK seems to have got a pretty large consortium of other countries alongside it to announce these decisions. This is a kind of a demonstration of the Burnham government's resolve on this issue. And in terms of, I mean, I guess a ban with physical goods is one thing.

8:02As you say, it's relatively small beer. There was also the promise of a ban on services, on those who were involved in any way in financing or supporting the settlement enterprise. That is going to be more difficult to police, isn't it? Well, it is. And I noticed, actually, something which people have overlooked is that the Foreign Office also announced under its global human rights sanctions regime today the sanctioning of five Israeli individuals, including a gentleman who I think is the director of a construction company working in the settlement. So that kind of already that is biting. And so, yes, I mean, this is the big challenge.

8:45And those who have tried to enforce sanctions against Russia will be familiar with this because sanctions on goods and services coming into and out of Crimea was a big headache for the private sector for a good many years after 2014. And so I think at the end of the day, this is a demonstration of UK resolve. Now, of course, the private sector have to figure out how on earth to implement these sanctions once the details are made clear. And very briefly, Tom, there was also a warning from the US ambassador to Israel that there could be blowback for British companies who want to trade with some US states.

9:26How likely do you think that is? Well, I mean, never say never with the United States in this day and age. Obviously, President Trump has used trade in general as the big stick to beat people around the world with whom he doesn't agree. So I think that is a concern. And again, the private sector will be parsing the statements of people like Ambassador Huckabee to figure out where the mallet might fall. So there are challenges ahead for the private sector. And we'll need to see more details as the Foreign Office actually reveals what's behind Ed Miliband's statements to the House today. Tom Keating from the RUCI think tank in London.

10:04Alex Ballinger is an MP with the governing Labour Party and sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. What's his assessment? I think it's a really important move by the government. The actions of Israel in the West Bank, in Gaza, in Lebanon, they're clear breaches of international law. War crimes are happening. I agree with the Foreign Secretary that what we're seeing in parts of the West Bank does amount to ethnic cleansing. And I'm glad the government is using the language that's appropriate. I'm disappointed and sad that Israel has responded in the way they have responded, particularly having visited the consulate in Jerusalem only last year.

10:41I know the good work they were doing to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But I think even with that response, it's the right thing to do. It's the moral thing to do. And it's something that I think the public in the UK have been asking for for a long time. The Foreign Secretary was very clear to say our argument is with the settlement enterprises, not with Israeli people as a whole, with whom, as he said, we have unshakable bonds. Israel has a single banking system. I mean, are you going to be expecting British banks to do due diligence on every single banking transaction that goes to an Israeli bank in order to determine where it might possibly end up?

11:22because that is going to either be a vast amount of work for those British banks or it's basically going to mean that actually British banks are going to avoid doing any business with Israel. Those details weren't in the statement today. What was there was a six to nine month transition period while these sanctions will be thought through and the regime set up. Everyone appreciates it's complicated. But it's very difficult to see how that is going to work in a way that doesn't mean that it is going to bleed into essentially, effectively, sanctions much more broadly on Israel. The alternative is to allow British companies and others to facilitate, finance, construct illegal settlements in the West Bank, things that the UK recognises now as illegal, the international community, the UN has for a long time.

12:12And I think even though it's complicated, these things will have to be worked through. I'm sure there will be exemptions for good reasons, different things. we are going to take all the steps necessary to support the two-state solution. There's an open question on feasibility. There is also a question on unintended consequences. And, you know, lots of people are making the argument today that this announcement coming just weeks before a very tightly fought general election in Israel could well mean a boost for Bini Minnet Nyahob. It could have those unintended consequences, couldn't it? I think the urgency of the situation merits action right now.

12:52I mean, there are settlers in the West Bank just last month that have organised attacks on settlements. Two Palestinians killed only a few days ago. There would always be an argument to wait, no matter what it is. There's elections coming. There's been elections in Israel coming for the past two years, I can remember. Well, yeah, I know, but we really do know that they're going to be held before the end of the next month. I mean, it's up to the Israeli people to decide who they vote for. This is in no way intended to influence that. There are those who say, though, that there is a special motive at play here, and it would be naive to discount, in a sense, the local politics, the national politics, that there is a reading whereby the Labour government is concerned about being outflanked from the left by the Green Party, and that this is, to an extent, gesture politics.

13:39The downside of that, and it's an argument made by the chief rabbi, who speaks for quite a number of British Jews, that gesture politics of this kind feeds into an increasingly hostile discourse about Israel, the cumulative effect of which is to further embolden those at home and abroad who use hatred as a weapon against Jews. What do you say to that? I reject the link there. There is a problem across the world of hatred and attacks against Jewish people, and the UK will always fight against that and always stand up for them both in the UK and globally. That is a separate issue to the action we're taking today which is targeted at the Israeli government.

14:21There are many people in the UK across the political spectrum, it doesn't matter whether you're left or right, that have been watching this over the last few years, have seen the deterioration and they are calling for the government to take action and I think it is reasonable, appropriate and morally right for us to take action based on those circumstances. And that was the Labour MP Alex Ballinger in about 15 minutes. We'll be hearing the views from a senior member of the Israeli Prime Minister's office. Also coming up on News Out, we'll be hearing about a science fiction titan celebrating its 60th birthday.

15:00People use our characters and use the ideas of Star Trek is virtual mentors. They chose characters. And if they felt like an outsider, if they felt like an alien in their life, they could understand that there was validity to what they were feeling by looking at my character. The enduring appeal of Star Trek. That's coming up in 30 minutes. Our headlines this hour, as we've been hearing, the leaders of Britain, France and Canada say sanctions against Israeli settlers announced in concert with nine other states are a turning point In the protection of a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel has closed a British consulate in response.

15:39And Iran has reported a series of explosions at its oil facilities after warning the US against targeting its ships.

15:52You're with NewsHour, live from the BBC. Councillors in Odessa, Ukraine's third-largest city, are due to vote tomorrow, Wednesday, on a proposal to ban all Russian language content from the public sphere. Russian is the first language of the overwhelming majority of people in the city and of millions throughout Ukraine, including many of the troops defending the country in its war with Russia. But it's viewed by some Ukrainian speakers as the language of the enemy and its use has been increasingly restricted by law. How do Odessans feel about that? Tim Hewell has this report.

16:31It's a muggy summer night in Odessa. Russia is launching missiles at the city every few hours, but the mask theatre is packed. Veteran comic actor Boris Barsky, with his trademark wax moustache, keeps the audience rolling in the aisles with classic Odessa humour in the main language of its streets, Russian. He's allowed to use it on stage because this is a private theatre, but he's been fined for writing coffee in Russian on the cafe menu. Signs in the language are banned, part of a complex web of restrictions he thinks are absurd.

17:09This isn't even like Orwell or Kafka. It's just total madness. Now he's worried that a proposed moratorium on Russian language content in the public sphere may even extend to songs.

17:30More songs have been written about Odessa than any other city. How can you cut them out of our lives? But lawyer Artem Kartashov, who's helped the council to decolonise Odessa, changing Soviet and Tsarist-era memorials and street names, says there's a problem with Russian songs in wartime. By the Russian-speaking music or something else, Russians tried to deconstruct Ukrainian identity or tried to influence especially on the young people. Language was instrumentalised by the Russian Federation as a weapon. Photographer Natalia Mikhalenko agrees. She grew up speaking Russian, but switched to Ukrainian when she learnt about Russia's centuries-long repression of Ukrainian culture.

18:17Now, when everyday people are killed, it's very hard to hear Russian language. I think it's because of trauma. The most radical people are the people who are lost relatives.

18:39Ukrainians already used for most purposes, except private conversation in Odessa. Guides, advertising excursions have switched to it, for example, as the law says everyone must use it at work. Ukrainian and Russian are closely related, and most Odessans understand both. But Anastasia Pilyavsky, an anthropologist who's founded a group campaigning for more open discussion of language issues, says that's not the point. The question is not really one of language, but it's one of liberty, right? Because Ukraine has been fighting for freedom. For most Ukrainians, diversity is not a frill. This is what they're fighting for.

19:17This is the reason for this war, right? If you put it on hold, there's nothing to fight for. It's not clear yet whether the council will approve a moratorium on Russian in the public sphere, or what exactly that would mean in practice for Boris Barsky's theatre. At the end of his performances, he salutes jesters, his fellow actors, who defend the country by keeping it laughing. and then its ultimate defenders, its armed forces. He wants Ukraine to win, but he thinks his country can fight Russia without needing to fight Russian too. I don't understand what they're fighting against. Russian isn't the language of Putin, it's the language of writers like Dostoevsky and Bulgakov.

20:04Who gains from this? from setting people against other people who love Ukraine just as deeply, only love it in a different language. Only Putin gains from this.

20:20And that report from Odessa by Tim Huell.

20:27Now, sports reporting does sometimes lend itself to overheated language, but something really quite remarkable did happen at the US Open Tennis Championships. An unfancied player, in this case Zhang Qinwen from China, won a set from 5-0 down in her latest victory, which takes her to the quarterfinals. And not only that, she had done this for the second match in succession. She'd been 5-0 down in the deciding set against her previous opponent before winning seven successive games. Ava Wallace is senior tennis writer with the Athletic Sports News website. What does she make of it all? This is something you do not see every day, every week, even every year in tennis.

21:10I mean, first of all, it takes kind of two parties to make this happen. Usually when someone's up 5-0, they're playing well enough. They can kind of just get one more game to close things out. So it was really on both sides. It's remarkable from Jane's perspective. And it's also remarkable to lose twice in a row two different players, of course, for different reasons. but kind of letting go a 5-0 lead. But absolutely, it's James. It's incredible. Yeah, well, it must have been a nightmare for those opponents of hers who felt it slipping away. But also, am I right in saying that she's been a bit out of form?

21:48Yes, so she's been managing a chronic elbow injury since July of 2025. That's when she had surgery. And it's been really tough for her to get back. Obviously, you can imagine how important something like elbow health is to tennis. But she's had lots and lots of setbacks, has come back multiple different times and try to rebuild her ranking. And she actually had to come through the qualifying tournament just to get to this stage at the U.S. Open. So she's also played three extra matches than everybody else here. Oh, my goodness. How, I mean, you know, tennis crowds, they love an underdog. So I just wonder how they responded to what they were witnessing.

22:27I mean, was there a sense of the crowd really getting behind her? Absolutely. Tennis crowds definitely love an underdog, especially when you've paid a lot of money for a ticket like everybody has at the U.S. Open. You want to see more tennis. But also Zhang comes in with one of probably the biggest followings on the tennis tour. She's a Chinese star, which always kind of gives players an extra boost when they're representing part of the Asian diaspora and the Asian market. So she has a lot of fans, a lot of fans here in New York. And she has this big personality. You might not see it when she's making these comebacks.

23:01She's actually pretty low key on court. But as soon as you put a microphone in front of her face, she just comes alive. And people really love her for it. It's really interesting what you were saying, because I was just wondering and I confess I haven't been following it. But I was just wondering whether actually that, you know, that entirely unjustified, I'm sure. But there may have been a bit of antipathy on the grounds that, you know, the U.S. at a geopolitical level, it has has tensions. with China. So I didn't know whether that might play at all in terms of the fans' response in New York, but you're saying not at all?

23:35No, in fact, there's a huge population and members of Asian Americans or Asian tennis diaspora. That's kind of the really cool thing about the US Open is you're in New York City, you have a lot of people who do live here, who maybe are children of immigrants or have family ties elsewhere outside of the US. It's actually quite common And you see players representing populations who don't have a huge history in tennis, who find a ton of support here in New York. And just very briefly, Ava, she's now in the quarterfinals. I mean, people started to take her seriously. Yes, it's been a while, but she she was a top five player just last year.

24:13And so I don't know if people have been underestimating her or if it's just the end of the year and everyone's tired. But nobody wants to play Zhang Kinwen right now. over wallace uh senior tennis writer with the athletic on uh the person who really no one wants to play or frankly go five nil up against um jung chin one from china she's done it twice in a row who to say she won't do it again you're listening to news hour

24:52This message is for all of you who take your barbecuing seriously. Yes, I'm talking to 99.9 % of all Aussies. Apologies to the 0.1 % of you who might find this a bit boring. But if you want to take your barbecuing to the next level, you need to know about outdoor grilling equipment from Made In, the company that supplies many of the world's most famous chefs. Their carbon steel griddle, for example, is a professional-grade griddle that turns an ordinary barbecue into a large restaurant-style flat top. It's perfect for snags, steaks, veggies, fish, and breakfast foods like pancakes and eggs and bacon.