Israel 'could recognise' Argentinian sovereignty of Falklands
Itamar Ben-Gvir, right, with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The announcement of the West Bank trade ban is expected to provoke sharp criticism from Israel.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli national security minister, called on Binyamin Netanyahu’s government to “recognise” Argentinian sovereignty over the Falklands.
In a post on X, he wrote: “It’s time for the state of Israel to publicly recognise that the Malvinas Islands are Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people.
"The British are not content with merely occupying the territory, they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people.
“I call upon prime minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu to recognise Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.”
Israeli minister calls to expel UK ambassador
Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, criticised the sanctions plan and called for the British ambassador to be expelled.
“We will not be a doormat for an antisemitic government in a country occupied by radical Islam that is trying to escape economic and social collapse by attacking Jews and the state of Israel,” he wrote on social media. “The British Mandate in Israel is over”.
PM to ban trade with West Bank settlements
Andy Burnham will announce a trade ban on Tuesday on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in his most significant foreign policy intervention since becoming prime minister.
The announcement is in response to Israeli plans to open tenders for the construction of 1,200 settler homes in a key area of the West Bank known as E1.
Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, will announce the ban in the Commons. He will raise concerns that Israel’s plans for extra housing will in effect cut the West Bank in two and destroy any hope of a two-state solution, in which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would exist side by side.
US ambassador claims ban 'discriminates' against Jews
Mike Huckabee, the United States' ambassador to Israel, said the sanctions were “an irrational action” and “discrimination against the Jewish people”.
He had previously responded to the announcement by accusing the government of "Jew hate" which "knows no boundaries and knows no facts".
"I don’t understand what it’s supposed to achieve," Huckabee told Radio 4's Today programme. “If the UK is really interested in dealing with issues they feel are wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China, Russia? Where are the sanctions against many other nations in the world?"
Burnham told President Trump about the proposed ban in a phone call on Monday. The Trump administration is expected to make a statement attacking the decision.
American states 'may retaliate' if UK enacts sanctions
Mike Huckabee, the United States' ambassador to Israel, said sanctions on settlements in the West Bank will “do great damage to any Brits who are doing business in a number of states in the US”.
He said: "Twenty-five per cent of pharmaceuticals that are used in the UK are made in Israel. Are they willing to give those up? It looks like they are ...
"I don't know what the national sanctions, repercussions or retaliations will be from the US, they haven't been announced yet. But I do know that there are a number of states, let me mention one of the largest US states, Florida, that has a law that if this action is taken then Brits will not be able to do business with any company or business in Florida. That’s a big impact.”
Why British relations with Argentina are tense
Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative prime minister, with supporters at Port Stanley in in May 1982 JOHN GILES/PA
Itamir Ben-Gvir's comments about the Falklands islands come amid worsening relations between Argentina and Britain.
Last week, Javier Milei, Argentina's president, used a televised speech to reassert Buenos Aires’s demand for sovereignty over the islands.
Britain has ruled the Islands since 1833, and in a 2013 referendum, the islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8 per cent voting in favour and just three votes against.
In 1982, Argentine military forces invaded the islands. The resulting war caused the deaths of 255 British service personnel, 655 Argentinians, and three islanders.
Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. Survivors at RAF Sir Galahad, smoking in the background, hauled ashore at Bluff Cove. The ship was eventually towed out to sea and sunk as a war grave