Prominent Israelis Call UK Sanctions on Settlements ‘a Good Start’
JERUSALEM — Prominent Israelis have welcomed new UK sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them a necessary response to settleme...
JERUSALEM — Prominent Israelis have welcomed new UK sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them a necessary response to settlement expansion and rising violence. The move, announced on Tuesday by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, caught some in Israel off guard because of its scale and blunt language.
The reaction matters because it signals a rare push from a close Israeli ally to use economic pressure over events in the West Bank. It also deepens the political fallout from months of violence and mounting criticism of the Israeli government’s response.
‘Inevitable consequence’ of failures
In a joint statement, the president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, a former prime minister, an ex-head of the army, and former ministers and diplomats described the intervention as an “inevitable consequence” of Israeli government and security failures.
They drew a sharp line between the sanctions and the state itself. “Sanctions [are being imposed] against Jewish terrorists, and not against the legitimacy of the state of Israel,” they wrote. “There is no basis to the [Israeli] government’s response that the decision to impose sanctions against Jewish terrorists is an expression of antisemitism.”
Why the UK move stands out
Miliband had already signaled that Britain was preparing fresh sanctions, but the strength of his language and the breadth of the controls announced this week surprised observers. For years, close allies have struggled to find a response that would alter conduct on the ground in the occupied West Bank.
This was different. It marked what the source described as the most significant attempt in many years by a close Israeli ally to use economic leverage in order to force change in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli critics see a warning
The backing from such senior Israeli figures gives the UK move unusual political cover. It also exposes a widening split inside Israel over settlement policy and the violence tied to it.
For London, the sanctions are a signal that the West Bank issue is no longer just a diplomatic irritant. They are now tied to concrete pressure, and to the question of whether violence linked to settlers can be contained before the pressure spreads further.
The statement from the Israeli figures left little room for ambiguity. The sanctions, they said, are aimed at “Jewish terrorists.” And the UK, for now, appears ready to keep that pressure in place.
