UK Embassy Cancels Israel Move, Cites Settlements

The British Embassy in Israel has canceled plans to relocate to new offices because one of the owners is believed to be involved in building Jewish settlements in the West Bank, an official said on Wednesday.

Spokeswoman Karen Kaufman said the embassy had planned to move to the high-rise Kirya Tower in Tel Aviv, partly owned by real estate company Africa-Israel Investments Ltd., but the ambassador, Tom Phillips, decided not to move last month.

"No leases were signed, and part of the reason was we looked into the issue of Africa-Israel and settlements and settlement holdings and we asked for clarification on those issues," Kaufman said. She said the company's response was unsatisfactory, though she declined to elaborate.

The decision reflects growing U.K. pressure on Israel to abide by its international pledges to freeze settlement building in the West Bank and dismantle unauthorized outposts. The Palestinians seek the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state.

"The U.K. government has always regarded settlements as illegal, but what has happened in recent months is that we are looking for ways to make a difference on this issue," Kaufman said. "We see them as an obstacle to peace."

Israel has defended its settlements by maintaining that the West Bank's ownership is disputed and can be resolved only through negotiations. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war.

A subsidiary of Africa-Israel, Danya Cebus, has built homes in at least one West Bank settlement, Maale Adumim, but the scope of the company's activities is not clear.

Africa-Israel, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, said the British embassy's perception of Danya Cebus' operations in the West Bank is "fundamentally wrong," but did not give more details.

The company's statement said pro-Palestinian organizations in Britain have long tried to promote a "biased, one-sided political agenda" against Israeli businesses.