Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Britain's decision to impose sanctions on settlements, saying 'they chose to do this on the eve of the Jewish New Year for domestic political reasons.' According to him, 'the Labor government's move is particularly absurd given that more than 100 years ago, the Balfour Declaration officially recognized the historical right of the Jewish people to establish their home in the Land of Israel, including in Judea and Samaria. This was included in the British Mandate. The decision constitutes interference in the electoral system of a sovereign state.'