Ed Miliband accused of 'creating an atmosphere for violence against Jews' after Israel sanctions

Ed Miliband has been accused of creating "an atmosphere for violence against Jews" in Britain by launching a series of sanctions on Israeli settlements.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons a "new approach" was necessary because plans for the E1 development in the West Bank would render a two-state solution "unviable" by “cutting through the heart of Palestine".

The former Labour leader also accused settler "terrorists", supported by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, of committing ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.

Responding to Mr Miliband's comments, Alex Gandler, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in the UK, told the BBC the “sanctions and the way they were presented create a fertile ground for antisemitism to flourish”.

He added: “It definitely does not promote the relationship between Israel and the United Kingdom, that is for sure, and it does create an atmosphere for violence against Jews.”

Yesterday, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said people who "use hatred as a weapon against Jews" will be emboldened by Labour's decision.

He said: "The measures announced amount to little more than political flag-bearing for mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric and those who harbour a dangerous obsession with the Jewish State.

"These measures will succeed only in bolstering the very extremism they seek to target."

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…

Kemi Badenoch warns of 'serious consequences' for Labour after Israel sanctions

Kemi Badenoch has criticised Ed Miliband's sanctions on Israel, warning of "serious consequences".

Writing in The Sun, Ms Badenoch said sanctions showed the Prime Minister was “putting its own party-political interests ahead of our national interest”, adding that Israel was “an important security and intelligence partner” for the UK.

“These sanctions are performative politics, designed to appease Labour MPs and activists regardless of the consequences for Britain,” she wrote.

“And those consequences could be serious. Israel is an important security and intelligence partner for the United Kingdom.”