Ed Miliband accused of stoking ‘sectarian tension’ and violence in the streets of Britain_D

Labour’s announcement of sanctions against settler communities in the West Bank risks a rise in sectarian violence in the United Kingdom, it has been claimed. It comes following an announcement by the Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who accused the Israeli Government of having “turned a blind eye” to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Mr Miliband also announced a series of sanctions against settler communities, which would hit the import of goods to the UK. In a change in government position Mr Miliband also told MPs that the “settlements are illegal” before announcing a ban on their products being advertised.

But Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Tugendhat MP said that the announcements risked making Israel a “pariah state”. Speaking to MPs, he added that doing so “will risk sectarian tension in our country and risk a further rise in anti-semitic violence on our own streets”.

Mr Tugendhat said he agreed that the illegal settlements were wrong but added: “This isn’t about Israel alone, and it certainly isn’t about reducing the complexity of the region to a single sentence. Sadly, the Government is in the process of doing just that.

“When it recognised the state of Palestine only recently it did so against the laws that we ourselves have defended since 1933, in contravention of the Montevideo convention, in contravention of the principles that we have set out.

“When it sanctioned Israeli ministers, it failed to make the case to many others, including to the European Union. And today, it is enacting policies that the Foreign Office knows won’t work. But it does know it will harm innocents.”

He has previously expressed fears that the plans could put Britain’s national security at risk and make it harder to fight terrorism.

He told the Telegraph: “It’s worth remembering that Israel is one of our most important intelligence partners, and has been for many, many years.

“I can tell you, as security minister, a lot of incidents did not happen because of co-operation with intelligence sources in Israel, who helped us to protect British people from terror attacks.”

Asked about the sanction plan, Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told BBC Newsnight: “From a terrorism perspective, I mean, obviously one’s got to think about international co-operation.”

He added: “That is a really big deal, particularly with Iran, thinking about intelligence. On the other hand, I suppose it’s also true to say that some settler violence does amount to terrorism.”

Mr Hall also expressed concern about the potential impact on Britain’s Jewish communities, adding: “I think there is a risk that if you stir the pot by making Israel a pariah state, then that will bring that flame up again, which we saw.

“Remember, it was only a year ago that there was the attack at Heaton Park. And I’ve been very worried about delegitimising anyone who’s Israeli, certainly, and Jews, many of whom support Israel, and painting a bit of a target on the back.

“Now, I’m sure the government will be very careful, I hope they will be, in the way in which they describe this, but that is a concern.”

The Jewish Leadership Council accused the Government of an “unbalanced approach” that “risks harming Jewish life in Britain”.

It said in a statement: “The government is simply yielding to pressure from the most extreme elements of British society”.