UK Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Draw Angry Words in Jerusalem, but Voters Shrug Off Western Pressure

The United Kingdom’s decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has triggered a storm of protest from Israeli leaders, yet the move appears to have little traction with the country’s electorate just weeks before October’s elections, analysts say.

On 8 September, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that Britain would introduce a comprehensive import ban on goods produced in settlements he called “unlawful” and accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Palestinian territory. France and Canada immediately joined the measure, and a dozen other European states signalled their support source: Al Jazeera.

“This is the beginning of a new approach, to call out injustice and to act,” Miliband said, framing the ban as an overdue step to salvage a two-state solution that has been steadily undermined by three decades of settlement expansion source: Al Jazeera.

The ban covers all goods originating in settlements that most of the international community considers illegal under international law. Miliband also announced additional restrictions on arms sales to Israel source: Al Jazeera.

Israeli backlash – but no shift in public opinion

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar branded Miliband’s statements “outrageous lies” and accused London of trying to interfere in the country’s upcoming elections. President Isaac Herzog echoed that line, calling the sanctions a “gross interference in the democratic elections” of Israel source: Al Jazeera.

Yet inside Israel, the political impact appears minimal. A poll from August – taken as the death toll for Palestinians in the West Bank had already reached 76 this year – showed that more than half of Jewish Israelis support retaining the illegal settlements as part of any future agreement, and nearly 40 percent back outright annexation of the territory.

“People just don’t care that settlements are illegal,” said Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg. “Ed Miliband expressed a number of laudable sentiments when announcing the measures, but they don’t resonate here.” source: Al Jazeera

‘Seismic shift’ – but only a start

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese described the UK’s move as a “seismic shift” after years of what she termed Western “complicity” with Israeli settlement policy, but warned that “it is only the beginning” source: Al Jazeera.

Analysts largely agree. Tahani Mustafa, a lecturer in international relations at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that the sanctions are “modest” and unlikely to significantly alter the trajectory of Palestinian statehood. “After three decades of breakneck settlement expansion, Palestinian territory is only being held together by its sinews,” she said. “Much more decisive action is needed to salvage the two-state solution.” source: Al Jazeera

The number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, has ballooned from about 260,000 at the time of the Oslo Accords to more than 700,000 today, steadily carving up the land that a future Palestinian state would need source: Al Jazeera.

For European readers watching the diplomatic pressure mount, the question is whether trade bans alone can deter a government and an electorate that seem more determined than ever to hold on to the occupied territories. So far, the answer is no.