Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Britain on Thursday of freezing "military dialogue and security cooperation" with Israel, claiming the action stemmed from policies adopted by the UK Labour government since July 2024. Saar provided no evidence for the claim in a statement explaining his decision to force Britain to close its consulate in occupied East Jerusalem.
Saar listed several measures he attributed to the British government, including restrictions on Israel's official participation in a UK defence and security equipment exhibition, prevention of IDF officers from attending training at the Royal College of Defence Studies, and what he characterized as "repeated, biased and unilateral attacks against Israel in the international arena."
The British government provided evasive responses when asked about Saar's accusation. The UK Ministry of Defence referred Middle East Eye to the Foreign Office, which declined to respond directly and instead pointed to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's statement on Thursday, which did not address military dialogue or security cooperation claims.
No publicly available evidence supports Saar's assertion that Britain has frozen military dialogue or security cooperation with Israel. Last month, after sanctioning Israeli settlements, Miliband insisted intelligence cooperation with Israel would continue. The source material does not provide additional context on the current state of UK-Israel military relations or confirm whether any formal freeze has occurred.
The accusation marks an escalation in public rhetoric from Israel regarding UK policy, though the factual basis for Saar's specific claims remains unclear. The British government's refusal to comment directly on the allegations leaves their accuracy unverified.