Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a forceful statement following the U.K.’s decision to suspend free trade negotiations over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Concurrently, the U.K. introduced new sanctions concerning the West Bank, criticizing the “persistent cycle of serious violence perpetrated by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.”
The ministry asserted that discussions for a new U.K.-Israel free trade deal were already stalled before London’s announcement on Tuesday. Furthermore, it accused the U.K. of negatively impacting its own citizens due to its “anti-Israel fixation and domestic political motives.”
“Even before today’s statement, the free trade agreement discussions were entirely stagnant under the current U.K. administration,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated. “Moreover, the agreement would be mutually beneficial for both nations. If the British government chooses to risk its own economy due to an anti-Israel fixation and domestic political motives, that is entirely its prerogative.”
Israel also slammed the additional sanctions on the West Bank in light of the recent death of Tzeela Gez, an Israeli woman who was shot and killed in a terror attack while she was en route to the hospital to give birth. The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that doctors are still “fighting for her newborn’s life.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Getty Images)
While aid is being allowed to enter Gaza, Israel has faced backlash over the stringent restrictions, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot saying it was “insufficient.”
Tom Fletcher, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator who recently accused Israel of committing genocide, described the aid as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed” and called for “significantly more aid” to Gaza.
“We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms. I am grateful for that reassurance, and Israel’s agreement to humanitarian notification measures that reduce the immense security threats of the operation. I am determined that our aid reach those in greatest need, and that the risk of theft by Hamas or other armed groups is minimized,” Fletcher said in a statement.
Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
