Tel aviv: Israeli experts are divided over Western sanctions led by Britain against entities linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with some saying they could have a political and economic impact while others questioned their effectiveness and warned that they could be bypassed.
According to Anadolu Agency, Nadav Tamir, executive director of J Street Israel, expressed that the sanctions 'will be effective politically and economically.' J Street is a left-leaning Jewish advocacy organization that opposes right-wing Jewish organizations in the US. Tamir highlighted that sanctions on entities involved in construction projects under the E1 settlement plan would likely make parties more cautious about participating in such projects. The E1 settlement project aims to separate occupied East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank.
On Tuesday, a coalition of 12 countries, including Britain, France, Spain, and Canada, announced in a joint statement that they would ban trade with Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory. Tamir emphasized that Britain's decision sends a significant message to Israel, confirming that actions in the occupied West Bank involving 'terrorism, Jewish terrorism, ethnic cleansing and annexation' are unacceptable. He further stated that such measures do not interfere with Israel's internal affairs, as the occupied West Bank is not considered an internal matter, urging global intervention.
Israeli economist Omer Moav, however, voiced doubts about the current application of the sanctions, arguing that they would not be effective. Moav suggested that if Britain and other Western countries genuinely intended to punish Israel, they should impose sanctions on the entire nation. He expressed skepticism, believing that the measures are meant to appease audiences rather than enforce real change.
In a related context, Avraham Novogrotzky, president of the Manufacturers' Association of Israel, indicated in a report by Haaretz that some products affected by the sanctions are utilized by factories within Israel's 1948 borders, potentially complicating the determination of product origin. Novogrotzky claimed that 18,000 Palestinian workers holding special permits in Israeli settlements on occupied West Bank land might suffer due to the sanctions. Israeli media have previously reported instances where products from illegal settlements in the West Bank were labeled as originating within the 1948 borders to circumvent similar European bans.
On Wednesday, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux affirmed France's support for implementing a trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory at the European Union level. Amnesty International welcomed Britain's decision, alongside 11 other countries, to ban trade with Israeli settlements, describing it as 'a welcome, if long overdue,' development.
Earlier, Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Shtayyeh remarked that the announcement by 12 countries, including Britain, France, and Canada, to restrict trade with Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land was an 'important step.' Shtayyeh stressed the need to advance from boycotting settlement goods to taking measures against the settlement project and the state supporting it, suggesting that Israel has become isolated from those who once created, protected, and defended it.