Israel has ordered the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem and barred 12 British nationals, mostly MPs, from entering the country, in retaliation for a sweeping new UK ban on goods imported from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

On 8th of September, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in Parliament that the expansion of Israeli settlements across Palestinian territory was “unlawful” and accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing”.

He then announced important sanctions against companies that provide services to illegal settlements and introduced new restrictions on arms exports to Israel.

The sanctions targeted imports such as fresh produce, materials that help with construction, financing of settlements, and individuals accused of promoting violence.

The ban on arms exports included other goods that support the settlements.

“Accusations made today by the Foreign Secretary of the Labour Government in the British Parliament were outrageous lies,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

Saar states that the UK is blatantly interfering in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process, which is to be conducted in October this year.

According to an Al Jazeera explainer, on the same day, Israel announced four measures to be implemented against the UK.

These include the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem within 30 days, removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Centre, termination of British activities to train the Palestinian Authority forces under the ‘British Support Team in Ramallah’, and a ban on entry to Israel for 12 British MPs and nationals who are involved in “antisemitic and anti-Israel” activities.

This move from the UK is a risk considering the Trump administration’s reaction to it. Britain’s foreign minister Ed Miliband said the UK “could not simply stand by because we feared Israeli reaction.”

The prominent and unusual aspect is that the US has not blocked its allies from sanctioning Israel. The lack of pushback was interpreted as a sign of Trump’s frustration with the Israeli administration.

The only on-the-record comment was by Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, stating, “Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now.”

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee said Britain will pay a price, but at the federal level in Washington, no such comment has been put forth.

Looking at Britain’s sanctions and Israel’s countermeasures, implementation of Britain’s sanctions is expected within 6 to 9 months. Israel’s decisions, including the ban and removal, are immediate actions with quicker implementation.

Britain has voiced its intentions and speeches harshly, but the wider economic impact remains unknown.