Chief Rabbi ‘aware’ of West Bank sanctions in advance - as Foreign Secretary rejects claims it’s a ‘dark day for British Jews’
The foreign secretary told LBC he rejected the Chief Rabbi’s claim that the government’s decision to impose trade sanctions on Israeli settlements marked 'a truly dark day for British Jews'
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has rejected the Chief Rabbi’s claim that the government’s decision to impose trade sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements marked “a truly dark day for British Jews”.
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Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Miliband said he had “huge respect” for Sir Ephraim Mirvis, but disagreed with his assessment of the measures.
“I don't believe it was a dark day for British Jews,” he told LBC.
“Obviously, I have huge respect for the Chief Rabbi, but I believe it must be possible to stand up for British values of the rule of law, freedom and dignity”.
The foreign secretary said it was possible to oppose the policies of the Israeli government while also standing against antisemitism.
Mr Miliband also stressed that British Jews should not be held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.
Read more: Ed Miliband 'putting British Jews' safety at risk' with Israel sanctions, chief rabbi warns
“British Jews, or Jews anywhere, should not be held responsible for the actions of the government of Israel. That is antisemitism, pure and simple,” he said.
The Chief Rabbi previously warned that the sanctions could “further embolden those at home and abroad who use hatred as a weapon against Jews”.
When asked whether he acknowledged that there was a risk the measures could encourage antisemites, Mr Miliband maintained that the government had to protect the Jewish community while continuing to act according to its principles.
“We absolutely have to guard against it,” he said. “But we cannot set our compass as a country by people blinded by hatred.”
He added: “We have to deal with them, we have to arrest them when they commit crimes, and we have to do absolutely everything we can to protect the Jewish community. And that is what we will do.”
Mr Miliband said he had not spoken to the Chief Rabbi since the government’s announcement, but had met him in August and held what he described as “a long and good discussion” before the decision.
When asked whether Sir Ephraim had been aware of the planned announcement, Mr Miliband said: “Yes, I think he was aware of this.”
The foreign secretary said the government would continue to maintain good relations with the Chief Rabbi.
Mr Miliband said that the measures would ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and apply to people and businesses involved in them.
Mr Miliband said the system would identify goods by postcode, with importing companies responsible for demonstrating that products did not originate in settlement areas.
He said the measures would take between six and nine months to come into force, partly to ensure that goods from Israel within the 1967 borders were not affected. He also said the government would consult the Jewish community about possible religious exemptions.
Mr Miliband said the decision was taken because the government believed settlement expansion was undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.
The area identified in particular was E1, a region where Israel had started issuing tenders for settlement construction.
This zone was highlighted as particularly significant because development there would come between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, thereby undermining the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
Mr Miliband said the government had acted alongside international allies and had concluded that it could not “continue to stand by” in the face of settlement expansion.