A settlement trade ban is welcome but inadequate and long overdue
JVL Introduction
The UK government is finally promising to take meaningful action against settlement expansion as a result of Israel issuing tenders for settlement construction in E1, which lies between Jerusalem and one of the largest settlements, Ma’ale Adumim. While the action that will be taken is not completely clear, most believe that this will include a ban on trade with settlements.
We may well see this as too little and too late – any chance of a two state solution – even if that was a desirable aim – was destroyed by Israel a long time ago. The language of sanctions was used in the Foreign Secretary’s statement on the issue but focused “at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion”.
Under international law all settlements are illegal as outlined in Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Any action, however, will be treated with disdain by Israel and its unapologetic supporters and also likely cries of antisemitism. Assertions are made that taking action against Israel will fuel antisemitism. The government’s criticism of Israel’s actions has been very limited but has provoked the predictable response from right wing politicians, Jewish Establishment figures and, of course, Israeli spokespeople who have made ludicrous allegations about the UK, eg being an Islamic Republic!
Israel may even expel the UK Ambassador, perhaps the UK government should expel the Israeli Ambassador for its many decades and many examples of violating international law.
Ha’aretz ponders on the response of British Jews, which is interesting but I would like also to know how British citizens of Palestinian heritage respond. The article notes comments from many sources including Yachad and Labour Friends of Israel (LFI): Yachad emphasises that action proposed is not antisemitic (or even anti-Israel) whereas LFI argue strongly against the measures, stating that “A boycott of all trade with settlements is practically and politically impossible and risks becoming a de facto boycott of all of Israel”. LFI is right that it is impossible to separate out settlement trade from the wider economy of Israel and we can only hope that there is boycott, divestment and sanctions against the State of Israel until it ends the occupation, threats (and reality of) annexation and treats the Palestinian people as being of equal value and having equal rights to Jewish Israelis.
This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Wed 26 Aug 2026. Read the original here.
Unprecedented U.K. Sanctions on Israel Are Coming. How Will British Jews Respond?
The British Labour government is preparing biting measures against Israeli settlements. For Britain’s Jewish community, the response will test where solidarity with Israel ends and complicity with its extremist leadership begins
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The Dutch governments have been as supportive of Israel as any other European country, if not more so, and thus complicit for its atrocities ever since its regrettable formation in ’48. With just a tiny action as to boycott trade with settlements came this Israeli reaction:
Gideon Sa’ar on X:
Representatives of the Netherlands will be expelled immediately from
the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat. I made this decision today, with the approval of Prime Minister Netanyahu, following a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government. The latest being the enactment of a law prohibiting trade in Israeli products from Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem, and the Golan
Heights, which will take effect next month. Notice of this decision was delivered this evening to the Dutch Embassy in Israel and, of course, also to our American friends. The Dutch representatives have been instructed to leave Israel within one week. The Dutch government’s anti-Israel policy has been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in the Netherlands. Our message is clear: Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response.
6:15 p.m. • 25 aug. 2026 • 529,8K Weergaven
So you can tell how much decades of support and whitewashing is worth.
“That is because not only is there little love lost between Netanyahu and his extremist coalition and much of the community, but there is still substantial support for the two-state solution, which the expansion of settlements obviously imperils.”………………. How is it possible to imperil a long dead possibility? Those who still proclaim support for a two-state solution, to my mind, are not keen on much of a change to the apartheid State of Israel and its genocidal attempts to carry out the publicly stated aim of ridding the former Palestinian homeland of Palestinians and any trace of their culture.
Wouldn’t it be great if Israel threw the British Ambassador out! I want him recalled. We shouldn’t have anything to do with these appalling racists.;