Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has formally rejected warnings from the UK’s Chief Rabbi regarding the government’s recent decision to impose sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Chief Rabbi had expressed concern that these policy measures could inadvertently increase the risk of antisemitism and threaten the safety of British Jews.

In response, Miliband argued that the government is capable of simultaneously opposing the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration and combating antisemitism within the UK. The sanctions, which were announced on Tuesday, target trade related to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The UK government has officially adopted the position that the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel is unlawful.

These sanctions were not implemented unilaterally; the UK coordinated the move alongside France, Canada, and nine other nations. While the government frames the policy as a necessary step to address international law violations, the Chief Rabbi’s intervention highlights a significant divide between the government’s foreign policy objectives and the concerns of some Jewish community leaders regarding domestic security implications.