A major point of tension between Britain and Israel was a controversial conversation between British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar about the E1 settlement project in the West Bank.

A major point of tension between Britain and Israel was a controversial conversation between British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar about the E1 settlement project in the West Bank.

British officials said they left an Aug. 11 phone call believing Gideon Sa'ar indicated Israel would not open construction bids for E1 before Israel's October elections.

A week later, Israel published tenders for about 1,200 housing units in E1, which British officials saw as a reversal of what they understood Gideon Sa'ar had promised.

The dispute became one of the factors behind Britain's decision to impose sanctions against Israeli settlements.

Source: NYT