A long-time employee of the UK’s embassy in Tel Aviv owns property in a settlement considered illegal under international law in the occupied West Bank that was built by an organisation now sanctioned by the British government.
Gila Ben-Yakov Phillips, who has worked at the embassy for 16 years, has owned a property in Kerem Reim since 2022, official records show. The settlement, part of a broader area known as Talmon, is a project of Amana, a settler organisation the UK placed under sanctions in 2024.
Amana’s website advertises properties on Kerem Reim starting from about $550,000, lauding “its excellent location … approximately 50 minutes from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv”.
A 2024 press release announcing the sanctions against Amana said the organisation “has overseen the establishment of illegal outposts and provides funding and other economic resources for Israeli settlers involved in threatening and perpetrating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank”.
Lior Amihai, director of Israeli settlements monitor Peace Now, said Amana “played a key role in establishing” Kerem Reim. “Kerem Reim didn’t just appear on a hilltop – it was established in violation of both international law and, initially, Israeli law,” he said. “Like other settlements and outposts, it was placed to fracture Palestinian land and block any realistic path to a viable Palestinian state.”
Dror Etkes, founder of Israeli civil society organisation Kerem Navot, which researches settlements in the West Bank, said: “It seems surprising that the British government is paying the salary of someone who is living in a house that was built by a company that belongs to an association which the ministry is sanctioning.”
A representative for the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said “it is long-standing policy not to comment on the personal details of our staff”. Ms Ben-Yakov Phillips did not respond to a request for comment.
More than 85 per cent of Talmon’s residents voted for the far-right Religious Zionist Party in the last Israeli elections. The party is led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been the subject of UK sanctions since June for “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities”, including a statement in 2024 that “it might be justified and moral” to starve two million people in Gaza.
The ultranationalist minister attended an event in support of Kerem Reim in July. Amana head Ze’ev Hever was also at the event.
Records show that Ms Ben-Yakov Phillips, who serves as the embassy’s deputy head of corporate services and HR manager, according to her LinkedIn profile, also owned property in the Etz Efraim settlement.
The revelation that a long-time employee on the UK government payroll owns properties on occupied Palestinian land raises questions about the seriousness of Britain’s commitment to backing Palestinian territorial rights and the two-state solution. Israel’s vast and ever-expanding settler project in the West Bank is widely viewed as one of the main impediments to creating a Palestinian state, which has long been the preferred framework to end the Israel-Palestine crisis by much of the international community, including the UK.
Ms Ben-Yakov Phillips posted promotional material for Kerem Reim and Etz Ephraim while employed at the embassy. The posts were publicly visible for years but have now been taken down.
One post from 2023 called for childcare workers to take advantage of discounted accommodation in “a young settlement, growing with a warm and loving community”. Another advertised youth programmes. A third post, from 2018, asked for donations for a new synagogue in Etz Ephraim.
Like many western countries, the UK hardened its stance against settlement projects during the Gaza war, which coincided with a massive wave of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The actions of settlers have erased entire communities and continue despite a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas largely holding since October.
West Bank settlements are home to a broad section of Israeli society. More established sites that are closer to Israel’s borders with Palestine, such as Etz Ephraim, claim to offer cheap housing, as well as good facilities. Smaller settlements, often built deeper into the West Bank, such as Kerem Reim, tend to be more ideological.
During a trip to Al Mazra’a Al Qibliya, a Palestinian village near Kerem Reim, The National heard from locals how they are prevented from accessing agricultural land as the settlement expands. The village school also borders an open area into which Kerem Reim is expanding, at a rate that accelerated during the Gaza War, alarming parents. Residents also reported losing access to a park that was a popular gathering spot for the community.
The settlement project began with the construction of a dirt track, the mayor’s office said. A caravan was then added, followed by dozens more before the first standard residential units were built, mirroring a pattern widely seen across West Bank outposts.
Mr Etkes told The National that Palestinians face frequent attacks from settlers.
The UK’s embassy in Tel Aviv works on Israeli matters, while the British consulate in East Jerusalem deals with Palestinian concerns. Both organisations employ foreign and local staff. The embassy employs about 50 people.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 – Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
Do not drive outside designated lanes
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week’s car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5