Forum Topic

UK boycott of Israeli settlements

Today Ed Miliband is expected to announce a 'reset' in Britain's relations with Israel with a boycott of trade with settlements on the West Bank. The purpose is to promote the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank as part of a two state solution to the conflict.Can such a policy be effectively implemented? The answer is, with difficulty. While British firms might be banned from selling to the settlements, in practice it is impossible to distinguish between goods  coming from the West Bank from those produced in Israel.Will this policy deter Israel from further expansion into the West Bank? Absolutely not. The settlements will simply find other suppliers and other markets. Will it deter settler violence? Hardly. The religious fanatics who attack Palestinian villages will probably be emboldened, believing that the whole world is against the Jewish people.Will there be consequences for Britain as a result of this policy? Almost certainly. Israel will retaliate, possibly by banning imports of British goods or restricting the sale of pharmaceuticals to Britain or by refusing to cooperate with the security services on Islamist threats to Britain. There will also be consequences for Britain's trade with America as the Trump administration strongly opposes such action.Then why do it? And why do it now given that there will shortly be an election in Israel at which Netanyahu might be lose power? The answer is that Labour are essentially a performative party who have no grasp of practical policies but simply engage in virtue signalling, advertising their commitment to various ideals. And I would not exclude from their motives a wish to outflank the Greens, who are likely to attract the vote of those who support the Palestinian cause.Then

Steven Rose ● 56m5 Comments

"But more important in my view these actions of rogue Israelis simply cause their country to lose some of what little international support it currently has and provides diversionary cover for attacks upon it.Israel should just set up a cordon sanitaire around its existing borders and get on with growing the only democratic and sophisticated country in the region."Yet again John, I find myself agreeing with you. Weird.

Michael Brigo ●

Mr BrigoI too have objections  to Israelis setting up settlements in the West Bank.It probably is illegal according to 'international law', though I am not sure which legal system constitutes it and what particular law has been broken.And is the state of Palestine actually fully recognised by every country ?And if it is of course then the democratically elected government of the West Bank, whatever it calls itself and whoever leads it, can fight back militarily and geo-politically. But more important in my view these actions of rogue Israelis simply cause their country to lose some of what little international support it currently has and provides diversionary cover for attacks upon it.Israel should just set up a cordon sanitaire around its existing borders and get on with growing the only democratic and sophisticated country in the region.

John Hawkes ●

Steven'Then why do it? And why do it now given that there will shortly be an election in Israel at which Netanyahu might be lose power? The answer is that Labour are essentially a performative party who have no grasp of practical policies but simply engage in virtue signalling, advertising their commitment to various ideals. And I would not exclude from their motives a wish to outflank the Greens, who are likely to attract the vote of those who support the Palestinian cause.'I am sure this is the true motivation for Burnham and Miliband.The UK has a long established Jewish population that makes a great contribution to our society.And a smaller and more recently arrived Islamic one, mainly made up of Pakistani immigrants.Very few I would think Palestinian immigrants and so I question why we show such concern and sympathy with their plight especially with the murder and havoc they have inflicted in Britain over recent decades and are even recently shown to be perpetrating antisemitic attacks such that Jews are having to fund their own protective street forces.Furthermore the actions of Palestinians in the Middle East have given no reason for us showing them sympathy or support. We do not have a Palestinian dog in the Middle East conflict so why do lefties get so worked up about it.In the end we have to choose to support a western orientated society like ours which is Israel or a backward misogynistic  Islamic one which is Palestine.And let's not forget what happened in October 2023.Finally on a pragmatic level, cutting back on trade with Israel will hit us harder than them for we will lose access to their biomed and technology products we are dependent upon and which they easily can sell elsewhere.Can't buy them from Palestine though they do export dates I believe.But most important we will lose intelligence information from Israeli security sources regarding attacks in the UK from Islamists, especially Iranians.A warning recently made by the head of MI5.All this self inflicted damage to make puffed up 'lil Ed Miliband and Burnham feel self-righteously good about themselves.And of course to garner the Islamic votes in their constituencies.

John Hawkes ● 1m

Activists tend to describe actions of which they disapprove as illegal while ignoring the legal basis of actions which they support. For example, those who opposed the invasion of Israq called it illegal because it lacked support from the UN Security Council but the same people were happy to support the bombing of Serbia, which also lacked the backing of the UN.

Steven Rose ● 20m

Although I don't necessarily disagree as to their motives you do keep missing out the word "illegal" in front of "settlements"Although as you don't believe in international law I suppose to your mind they aren't illegal?

Michael Brigo ● 36m