Relations between Israel and several European countries have entered a new phase of tension over the expansion of Israeli settlements and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. European positions have shifted from political criticism to restrictions on settlement products and sanctions against individuals and companies linked to them, while Israel has responded with measures including stripping diplomats of their diplomatic status, closing a consulate and summoning a Spanish diplomat.
Britain steps up criticism of settlers
In the latest British position, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described settler practices in the West Bank as “ethnic cleansing” and condemned those he called “terrorist settlers”. Miliband affirmed that the two-state solution was the only way to achieve peace, stressing that Britain would not allow it to be undermined.
Miliband’s remarks coincided with other European moves linked to the settlements. The Netherlands banned imports of products manufactured there, while Spain’s Minister for Youth and Children, Sira Rego, called for diplomatic and trade relations with Israel to be severed, as well as for the suspension of the association agreement between Israel and the European Union.
European restrictions on settlement products
Britain, France and the Netherlands have imposed restrictions on imports of settlement products, while Denmark and Norway are nearing the adoption of similar measures. European countries have also approved sanctions targeting individuals and companies that trade with settlements, indicating that European pressure is shifting towards direct economic and diplomatic measures.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned Spain’s chargé d’affaires, Francesca Badros, for what it described as a “reprimand session” following the Spanish minister’s remarks. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the remarks formed part of a “systematic policy” pursued by the Spanish government.
Israel also revoked the diplomatic status of two Dutch diplomats representing their country to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, in response to Dutch sanctions related to the settlements. Israeli authorities had earlier closed the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which represents Britain to the Palestinian Authority, after London announced similar sanctions and a ban on imports of settlement products.
Israel responds with diplomatic measures
According to the commission, the violations included the seizure of about 1,629 dunams of land, as well as 71 demolitions targeting Palestinian structures and homes. The commission’s data also indicate that Israel controls about 42% of the West Bank under various designations, including military areas, state land and bypass roads.
Widespread attacks and land seizures in the West Bank
These figures come as European objections grow to the expansion of settlements and to settler activity against Palestinians and their property. Concerns are not limited to the attacks, as the E1 settlement plan has prompted warnings about the future of geographical contiguity in the West Bank. Through the plan, the Israeli authorities seek to link the Ma'ale Adumim settlements with Jerusalem.
The acting UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said implementing the plan would separate the northern West Bank from its south and sever the region’s territorial contiguity. The UN official described the E1 plan as the greatest threat to the two-state solution, given its location and potential impact on the geographical contiguity of the Palestinian territories.
The UN official also said that the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps had become empty of their residents and that about 33,000 people had been displaced from these areas. He described this as the largest wave of displacement in the West Bank since 1967. In an analysis of the shift in Britain’s position, Professor of International Conflict Resolution Muhammad al-Sharqawi said the London government was adopting what he called a “corrective view” towards Israel.
He explained that, in his assessment, the conduct of settlers and far-right representatives had come to be described as terrorism and ethnic cleansing. Al-Sharqawi also linked this shift to the repercussions of the 7 October war, saying that, in his view, Israel’s response had gone beyond the traditional framework for dealing with Israeli control and practices against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
He said Britain’s message to Israel was that it must “contain the settlement tide” and regulate settlers’ conduct rather than leave them free to act. Al-Sharqawi attributed the change in Britain’s position not solely to foreign-policy calculations, but also said that domestic British dynamics and public opinion played a role.
He pointed to competition between the Conservative and Labour parties, as well as the activity of civil society organisations and their influence on voters and party candidates. According to Al-Sharqawi, British civil society is putting pressure on voters and candidates, while the position on Israel is no longer merely a foreign-policy issue. It has become a public-opinion issue pressuring the London government not to ignore what is happening in the West Bank.
He believes this domestic factor partly explains the growth of British and European measures towards the policies of the Israeli government and the settlements. Al-Sharqawi added that the declining influence of the image Israel had traditionally projected of itself as a party receiving insufficient support had, in his analysis, contributed to a shift in some European positions.
He said Israel had relied for decades on what he called a “victimhood system” when addressing European and American public opinion, but the influence of this narrative had declined with the spread of social media, which enabled the public to follow directly what was happening in the settlements and the Gaza Strip.
Al-Sharqawi also believes that pro-Israel lobbying groups in Europe and the United States are facing a decline in their ability to influence compared with their previous levels of power. He concluded that political, social and media factors combined had, in his view, contributed to the shift in Britain’s and some European countries’ positions towards the policies of the Israeli government and the far right.
The settlement issue has become one of the main points of friction between Israel and several European capitals, particularly after some governments moved from condemnations to trade restrictions and sanctions. On the other side, Israel continues to take diplomatic measures against countries that impose restrictions on settlement products or criticise its policies in the West Bank.
