British sanctions against Israeli settlers
The UK has announced plans to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This is part of a wider re-calibration in its relations with Israel, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Tuesday in London. France, Canada, Denmark and other countries have also announced import bans and sanctions. Will this have an impact on the upcoming elections in Israel?
This will backfire
The bans are counterproductive, The Spectator criticises:
“Not one of the serious contenders in the forthcoming Israeli elections [on 27 October] is campaigning to withdraw from the West Bank. That is because 7 October extinguished the remaining vestiges of support for a two-state solution within Israeli society. Miliband's sanctions will not suddenly persuade the major parties to commit electoral suicide by changing course. If anything, this pre-election announcement risks emboldening the more extreme messianic politicians who actively want to isolate Israel from the international community and transform it from a thriving secular democracy into a theocracy resembling others in the region.”
Words must be followed by action
It all comes down to how the sanctions are implemented now, The Guardian observes:
“Mr Miliband has been characteristically brave. But the test is not what he said, but what he enforces in the weeks and months ahead. He promises a 'sanctions regime' to take action against 'companies and individuals' aiding settlements. Britain has accepted the principle that it must sever the business ties that uphold an unlawful occupation. The test is whether Mr Miliband can turn that into a comprehensive embargo, rather than a symbolic blacklist.”
Minor economic impact, major political blow
La Stampa is impressed by Ed Miliband's rhetoric:
“A passionate and stirring speech that went to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If we are to maintain a glimmer of hope – says the government in London – we must take decisive action and not allow Netanyahu's government to effectively destroy the prospect of a Palestinian state. Banning imports from the settlements is of virtually no economic significance. We are talking about a mere one percent of the volume of trade with Israel. In terms of foreign policy, however, it is a serious blow that further isolates Netanyahu seven weeks before the elections.”