Why Has The UK Government Changed Its Approach to Israel?

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Episode details

News,·08 Sep 2026,·38 mins

Available for over a year

Today, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Parliament the UK would ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank. In the speech, he said the UK government "agrees" there is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank, and that the Israeli government is turning a “blind eye”. Israel has responded by closing the British consulate in Jerusalem and banning 11 left-wing MPs from entering the country. How much is this a change in UK policy toward Israel? Adam and Chris discuss with BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen. Plus, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan say the couple were surprised to see a letter sent on behalf of King Charles clarifying they remained non-working royals after moving back to the UK. Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan is in the studio. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480. New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris, Shiler Mahmoudi, and Lois Worrow. The social producers were Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.