Twelve countries have announced a joint political offensive against trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s response was almost immediate: the British consulate in East Jerusalem was ordered to cease operations within 30 days, and relations between London and Tel Aviv entered their most acute crisis in recent years.
The coalition included Great Britain, France, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
However, to say that all twelve states have already imposed the same and immediately effective embargo would be inaccurate. The UK has announced a specific ban on trade in goods and services related to settlements, and other countries have supported the general line and are launching national procedures or considering similar restrictions.
What exactly was the target of sanctions?
This is not about a complete trade break with Israel, but about products and services associated with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Most states in the world and international organizations consider these settlements illegal from the point of view of international law. Israel disputes this and argues that the restrictions are politically motivated and harm not only Israelis but also Palestinians who work in factories in the settlements.
For Israel itself, the economic impact of the measures is likely to be limited: the volume of exports from the settlements is not comparable to the country’s overall foreign trade turnover. But the political signal is extremely serious: for the first time, Western allies are coordinating steps aimed specifically at the settlement economy.
London: ban and expansion of sanctions
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that the actions of radical settlers against Palestinians are taking on the character of displacing the population from their land. He used the wording “ethnic cleansing”placing political responsibility on the Israeli government as well.
London announced a ban on trade in goods and services associated with settlements, as well as new measures against individuals and entities involved in settler violence.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the decision a defense of the principle of justice and an attempt to preserve the possibility of creating two states – Israel and Palestine.
Israel responds by closing its consulate
The Israeli Foreign Ministry gave the British consulate in East Jerusalem 30 days to stop working.
In addition, Israel announced the cessation of a number of forms of practical cooperation with the UK: British representatives are being withdrawn from the International Gaza Relief Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, and training programs for Palestinian Authority forces with British participation are to be curtailed.
According to media reports, Israel has also imposed a travel ban on a group of British politicians and citizens whom the authorities consider involved in anti-Israel activities.
Why did the blow hit the settlements?
Settlement expansion in the West Bank has long been considered a major obstacle to a future Palestinian state. Each new residential area, roads, protected areas and restrictions on movement change the situation on the ground – and increasingly make a two-state solution almost impossible to achieve.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault said measures were necessary to prevent further deterioration of the situation. According to him, the expansion of settlements, violence against Palestinians and the lack of an effective response undermine the very possibility of a political settlement.
Paris intends to begin a procedure to ban goods from settlements, acting together with partners.
Symbolic ban or the beginning of a new break
Sanctions against settlements are not the same as an embargo against Israel. But diplomatically, this is much more than ordinary statements calling for restraint.
London, Paris and Ottawa, joined by nine other countries, are showing that they are willing to translate dissatisfaction with Israel’s policies into practical trade restrictions.
For Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, this is especially sensitive on the eve of a difficult election period: Israel’s international isolation ceases to be just a topic of statements at the UN and turns into specific bilateral conflicts with traditional partners.
At the same time, Washington has not yet supported the European-Canadian line. The United States criticized London’s decision and warned that drastic steps could further destabilize the region.
Main conclusion: the dispute is no longer limited to Gaza. The West Bank and Israeli settlements are becoming a new point of direct conflict between Israel and some of its former allies.
Israel has announced the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem and restrictions on British citizens following sanctions against settlements.
More Stories
$100,000 a month for passage through Hormuz: captains are paid almost as much as for participating in a war
Battle for Bab al-Mandeb: Yemen launches large-scale offensive against Houthis
A large Turkish column, consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops, entered Syria