Britain's threat of sanctions against Israeli settlements raises hope and anger

"The patient, a 55-year-old woman, was admitted on October 19, 2025, after assault that caused multiple injuries. She has bruises all over her body and injuries to her scalp and temples, which required stitches. An initial X-ray shows a traumatic hemorrhage on the left side of the brain."

When Britain announced its intention to impose sanctions on settlements – and all those who support settlements – in the West Bank, I thought of Afaf abu Olia and her printed journal lying on the living room table of her home in Turmusayya, Palestine. I met Afaf after she was knocked down by Israeli settlers last year.

I also thought of 14-year-old Ahmed Dawabsheh of the Palestinian Duma and the burns covering half his face. He lost his entire family when an Israeli settler threw a firebomb into his house ten years ago and I met him two years ago, when Israeli extremists had again attacked the village, setting houses and cars on fire.

Sanctions are a blunt weapon. It is difficult to know in advance exactly how they will strike. European trade with Israeli settlements is vanishingly small, but Britain goes further than that. The country also wants to introduce sanctions against companies that "support" settlements, which could mean construction companies that participate in constructions - or banks that lend money. All this risks hitting even the group of people it claims to protect, because Palestinians in the West Bank work for Israeli construction companies and Palestinian banks are dependent on Israeli ones.

But maybe something else is at play here.

Since Israel's current government took office, the most extreme right-wing government coalition ever, the situation in the West Bank has totally degenerated. The settler movement controls government policy and accessibility between Palestinian villages has been severely restricted by all the new illegal outposts - and approved Israeli settlements, which are also against international law.

The outside world has protested, but I can imagine that for 14-year-old Ahmed and 55-year-old Afaf it has mostly sounded like empty, rattling barrels.

Then came the news about E1. It is the name of a huge Palestinian area between Jerusalem and Ramallah that Israel has wanted to annex for decades. However, no governments have seen it as practicable, because it was a red line for their most important ally, the United States.

Not anymore, it seems. This year the plans have come back on the table and moved forward very quickly. Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has explicitly said that E1 would be the "last nail in the coffin for the dreams of a Palestinian state".

Britain cannot accept that. That's what Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says when he clearly declares his government's intention to impose sanctions. It was of course met with Israeli anger, expelled diplomats and the worst atmosphere between the countries ever. Accusations of anti-Semitism and election sabotage began to rain the second Miliband had finished speaking in London. Israel is going to elections in just over two months.

But Miliband has not budged an inch and also managed to get eleven other countries to back him, including Sweden. The Swedish support does not mean more than a pat on the back, because Sweden cannot introduce its own sanctions without the EU on board and the EU does not agree on the issue.

It may make no practical difference to Ahmed and Afaf. But in the end, someone put their foot down. It's something.