Miliband invoked his 60 relatives murdered in the Holocaust, then announced sanctions on Israel

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband invoked his family's Holocaust history during a scathing speech on Israeli policy, announcing a ban on imports from West Bank settlements. Describing himself as a "proud British Jew," Miliband expressed gratitude to Israel for providing a home to his grandmother after the Nazis killed her husband, his grandfather, and 60 other family members.

He recalled spending time on a kibbutz where his cousins lived and rejected efforts to challenge Israel's existence as the Jewish homeland. Addressing the October 7 Hamas massacre, Miliband affirmed Israel's right to defend itself and identified Iran as a threat to Israel and Jews worldwide, announcing re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran and referring Tehran's nuclear violations to the UN Security Council.

Miliband also devoted part of his speech to combating antisemitism in Britain, citing recent attacks and investing an additional £250 million in security for Jewish communities. He drew a clear distinction between criticism of Israel and attacks on British Jews, stating that holding British Jews responsible for Israeli government decisions was antisemitic.

Miliband pledged Britain's support for Israel while also advocating for Palestinian statehood, presenting the two-state solution as the central policy principle. In response to events in Gaza and the West Bank, Miliband expressed shame over Palestinian suffering and accused Israeli authorities of failing to prevent forced displacement in some Palestinian communities.

He announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, prohibiting advertising for settlement properties in the UK and imposing sanctions on companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion financing, construction, and infrastructure projects. These measures, expected to take effect within six to nine months, target settlements rather than Israel within the Green Line, while maintaining important trade relations with Israel and opposing the BDS movement.