Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband held their first call this week, according to The Zioneer. Sa’ar welcomed Britain’s designation of the IRGC as a prohibited organization and expressed interest in a productive dialogue. Miliband told Sa’ar that Hamas must disarm, the IDF should withdraw from Gaza, and progress is needed on President Trump’s 20-point peace plan. Miliband also raised what he termed a 'sharp escalation of settler violence and settlement expansion' and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The call between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his British counterpart Ed Miliband is the first direct conversation between the two since Miliband took office. Sa’ar welcomed the UK’s recent designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a prohibited organization, a move The Zioneer reported Sa’ar praised in a previous call earlier this week. In response, Miliband laid out British expectations: full disarmament of Hamas, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and progress on President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the post-war order. He also raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and what he described as 'settler violence and settlement expansion' in Judea and Samaria.
The exchange underscores the gap between Jerusalem’s security-first stance and London’s push for a rapid political process. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is disarmed, a position The Zioneer has covered extensively. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Hamas has engaged in disarmament negotiations in Cairo, with Qatar and Turkey mediating. Sa’ar himself has previously argued that Hamas’s willingness to cede ground to a technocrat government is a tactical maneuver to avoid disarmament.
The conversation also touched on Iran. Sa’ar expressed interest in a productive dialogue with Britain, and welcomed London’s hardline stance on the IRGC. The UK designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization earlier this month.
The call comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to implement Trump’s Gaza plan, which requires Hamas to lay down its weapons as a precondition for long-term reconstruction.
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