Tel aviv: Israel launched a verbal attack on Britain following its criticism of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed strong disapproval of British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s remarks, taking to the platform “X” to voice his rejection of what he described as a condescending tone.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had criticized the Israeli government’s tendering of the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, labeling it “unacceptable and destructive.” Miliband emphasized that Britain would not remain passive while the prospects of a two-state solution are jeopardized.

The Israeli government had released a tender earlier for the construction of 1,234 housing units as part of the “E1” settlement project. Sa’ar referenced the Balfour Declaration, a 1917 letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, which recognized the Jewish people’s right to establish a national home in Palestine. He argued that the declaration encompassed the disputed territories.

Sa’ar accused Britain of maintaining colonial territories and criticized its stance on the E1 project, claiming no new decisions had been made since 2025 regarding the construction, and that the tender process had been ongoing for months.

He further criticized Britain’s policy, suggesting that it exclusively blames Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism, which he claimed has fueled antisemitic sentiment and attacks on the British Jewish community. Sa’ar lamented the deterioration of bilateral relations, asserting that Israel would not succumb to Britain’s policies.

The E1 project aims to build approximately 3,400 settlement units to connect Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem through continuous Israeli urban development. The United Nations maintains that such settlement activity is illegal, undermining the feasibility of a two-state solution and has consistently called for its cessation.

Palestinians assert their claim to East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, citing international law resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation or annexation of the city.