JERUSALEM, Israel – The confrontation between the United States and Iran escalated again, this time on the waters of the Persian Gulf. U.S. CENTCOM announced on Tuesday that it destroyed five Iranian tankers after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard attacked an American warship. In Israel, a diplomatic clash between Jerusalem and London is growing more serious.
The latest escalation in the Strait of Hormuz comes as the Trump administration boosts both military and economic pressure on the Tehran regime.
The U.S. strategy includes a naval blockade, helping oil shipments move safely through the Strait of Hormuz, and finding alternative routes for Gulf oil.
The goal is to reduce Iran’s leverage over the world oil supply. The big question is whether Iran will back down or escalate even further.
Meanwhile, Israel and Britain are enmeshed in one of the most serious diplomatic confrontations in years.
Israel announced the closure of the British Consulate in eastern Jerusalem after U.K. officials accused some Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians. Israel called the claim “outrageous lies.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar cautioned that the closure was just the first countermeasure.
He announced, “Second, the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat. Third, the termination of British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria under the British support team in Ramallah.
Sa’ar added, “Fourth, the denial of entry to Israel to 12 British elected officials, elected representatives and other British nationals involved in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activity, as well as those who deny the very existence of the State of Israel.”
U.K. Foreign Minister Ed Miliband announced the sanctions against the Judea and Samaria residents on Tuesday.
“I do not believe that the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops and supermarkets. So, I can announce today that we will introduce an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” Miliband stated.
He claimed the settlements represent an obstacle to the two-state solution, and he took a further step by declaring all of Judea and Samaria illegal.
“Today, I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful, because of Israel’s entrenchment of its control, its intention to extend permanent sovereignty, and its expansionist agenda via illegal settlements.”
France and Canada are joining Britain in announcing import bans, while a number of other European countries have either taken similar steps or pledged support for further action.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned that the U.S. will respond to London’s actions.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Spokesman Doron Spielman pointed to analysis by the media watchdog Honest Reporting which discovered a dramatic imbalance in international coverage.
“Over the last few months, they studied 77 news outlets,” Spielman noted. “There were over 900 articles on what is called ‘settler violence’…and there were nine articles about Palestinian terrorism that claimed 25 lives.”
The U.K. claims its actions are designed to preserve the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
Israel contends that they punish Jewish communities in the biblical heartland and reward an international campaign against the Jewish state.
With more countries joining Britain, the battle over Judea and Samaria is becoming another heated contested front for Israel.
