British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband pressed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar over humanitarian aid to Gaza and violence in the West Bank during their first phone call on Tuesday, while the two also discussed Hamas’s disarmament, Iran and antisemitism, according to a statement issued by Miliband.
Miliband described the conversation with Sa’ar as a “frank and constructive first call,” saying the British government remained committed to open dialogue and a two-state solution that would include “a safe and secure State of Israel and Palestinian State.”
The foreign secretary said he raised what he described as a “sharp escalation of settler violence and settlement expansion,” as well as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Today I had a frank and constructive first call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/48pIdbvwXt
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) August 11, 2026
“I said Israel must crack down on violence in the West Bank, and must immediately end blockages on aid into Gaza,” Miliband said.
The discussion comes as the West Bank and the future of a two-state solution remain points of disagreement between Israel and Britain. Earlier this year, Sa’ar clashed with then-British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper at the UN Security Council after she criticized Israeli policies in the West Bank.
Hamas disarmament, Iran and antisemitism
Miliband also called for Hamas to give up its weapons and for the IDF to withdraw, saying progress was needed on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
Additionally, the two discussed shared security challenges and agreed on the need to combat antisemitism worldwide and the “vital shared interest in ensuring that we never see a nuclear Iran.”
