Burak Bir
10 September 2026•Update: 10 September 2026
The Irish prime minister on Thursday rejected the Israeli government's "overreaction" to the UK following sanctions on illegal settlements.
He said "terrorist settlers" are undermining the prospects of a two-state solution in the occupied Palestinian territory.
"I welcome the decision by the United Kingdom in the first instance. Secondly, I believe the reaction from the Israeli government is completely unnecessary," Micheal Martin said at a news conference with leaders of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia at a Visegrad Group Leaders meeting in Bratislava.
Calling Israeli statements an "overreaction," the prime minister said Tel Aviv should respect democratic governments that come to decisions, "primarily driven by humanitarian considerations and by our commitment to a two-state solution."
Israel ordered the closure Tuesday of the British consulate in East Jerusalem and imposed an entry ban on 11 British lawmakers after UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced measures targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He went on to say that what is happening in the occupied West Bank is essentially "terrorist settlers" uprooting the Palestinian population.
"By doing that, not only breaching their human rights, but undermining the prospect of a two-state solution into the future," he noted.
Martin said that a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza is "morally unacceptable," adding that there is a need for a breakthrough there "for the sake of humanity."
The UK measures include a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements, sanctions on companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and additional sanctions on extremist Israeli occupiers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.
