Many Western countries impose sanctions on Israeli settlements, and Israel takes tough diplomatic retaliation

In protest against Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank and rising violence against Palestinians, Britain, France, Canada and many other Western countries announced sanctions against Israel this week to put pressure on the government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Facing joint pressure from its traditional allies, the Israeli government immediately retaliated, ordering the closure of the century-old British Consulate in East Jerusalem within a time limit and expelling a number of British diplomats.

Bloomberg reported that this diplomatic storm highlights Israel’s increasingly severe isolation in the international community. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced in the House of Commons on the 8th that a new sanctions mechanism will be used to completely ban the import of goods from illegal West Bank settlements and impose fines on individuals and companies that provide financing, construction, infrastructure and real estate services to these settlements.

Miliban bluntly stated that the British government recognized the accusations of "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians in the West Bank, and emphasized that the UK would never stand by and watch actions that undermine the "two-state solution".

London's move quickly received responses from many countries. The foreign ministries of France and Canada have both stated that they will ban the import of products from Israeli settlements. In addition, nine European countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Portugal, also stated their support for the British sanctions.

Although the export of goods from the settlements accounts for only a small part of Israel's overall economy, the diplomatic community generally believes that this boycott has dealt a heavy blow to Israel's international image and highlighted that European allies have reached the limit of their tolerance.

In response, the Israeli government immediately responded strongly. Israeli officials pointed out that the authorities had officially notified the United Kingdom that the consulate in East Jerusalem responsible for handling Palestinian affairs must be closed within 30 days. The history of the consulate dates back to 1839, and all British personnel in the consulate will lose their diplomatic immunity and status.

In addition to closing the consulate, Israel's retaliatory actions also include: ordering British officials involved in the US-led Gaza corridor coordination mission, as well as British diplomats stationed in Ramallah, where the Palestinian self-government headquarters is located, to leave the country within seven days; a comprehensive ban on British training of Palestinian security forces in the West Bank; and denying entry to 12 British dignitaries and citizens, including former British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has always been an outspoken critic of Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar strongly condemned the British sanctions as "shameful and hypocritical" and "extremely morally distorted" and accused them of blatant interference in the internal affairs and electoral process of a sovereign country ahead of Israel's election next month. Regarding Israel's retaliation, Miliban admitted that he regretted it but was "not surprised" and emphasized that if the UK stood by and watched, it would not be able to answer to history.

Compared with the tense situations between Britain and Israel, the United States' response has been relatively low-key. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he had been informed of the British plan, but made it clear that the United States would not follow up on sanctions. Rubio declined to comment on Britain's actions, but reiterated that Washington hopes to maintain regional stability and is not happy to see any destabilizing moves in the West Bank.

U.S. President Trump has not yet expressed his position on the matter, but U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and some politicians have hinted that Britain's move may violate anti-boycott laws in some U.S. states and may face economic and trade retaliation from the U.S. in the future.

This wave of diplomatic wrangling not only reflects the international community's strong dissatisfaction with the Gaza war and the West Bank crisis, but also shows that even Israel's traditional European allies have begun to adopt substantive sanctions to express their protest. It is reported that the Israeli cabinet will hold another meeting to discuss further countermeasures against France, Canada and other countries that have followed up on sanctions. The situation in the Middle East and Europe-Israel relations may face more severe tests.