Miliband defends UK settlement sanctions, says Israel’s retaliatory response is regrettable

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended the UK's decision to impose sanctions on West Bank settlements, stating, "I regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I'm proud of what we did yesterday, and it was the right thing to do." This followed Israel's announcement by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to close the UK's consulate in East Jerusalem and expel British representatives from the Kiryat Gat Civil-Military Coordination Center. These actions were a direct response to Miliband's earlier declaration of UK sanctions against West Bank settlements.