Tel Aviv considers expelling European officials from Gaza coordination center - report

Israel is considering expelling British, ​and possibly other ‌European officials, from the U.S.-led coordination ​centre for post-war ​Gaza, the Financial Times ⁠reported on ​Thursday.

The Israeli government in ​recent weeks has discussed removing the UK ​from the International ​Gaza Support Center, the ‌multinational ⁠headquarters established to monitor the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel ​and ​Hamas, ⁠the newspaper said.

The report says Jerusalem may decide to take similar measures against officials from other European countries as well.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Tuesday that Dutch representatives would be expelled from the center after a series of “anti-Israel measures” by the Netherlands.

The report comes amid a spat between Israel and the UK over the expansion of Israel’s controversial E1 settlements plan, which would block territorial contiguity between major Palestinian population centers.

UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ed Miliband called the plan “unacceptable and destructive” in a written statement last week, and said his office was working to prepare a “comprehensive set of measures” in response, including sanctions against “those who participate in illegal settlement expansion.”

British media reported yesterday that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham was preparing to announce a complete trade ban on goods from Israeli West Bank settlements in response to the E1 plan.