Peloni:  So while recognizing the devastating consequence of having created a defacto Second Palestinian state in Gaza, Europeans are determined to move forward with their support for creating an actual Second Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria.  Notably, European hypocrisy knows no bound as they are applying sanctions on even those who support the creation of illegal settlements in Judea and Samaria when in fact the European nations launching this economic war on Israel are in fact guilty of having supported the creation of thousands of illegal settlements all across Judea and Samaria.

The fact that the European sanctioning is even stated to affect a Second Palestinian state while simultaneously ‘condemning’ the result of the last attempt at creating a Second Palestinian state in Gaza provides all the clarity needed to demonstrate that Europe is pursuing yet one more attempt at pursuing political arrangements which will oversee the slaughter and destruction of the Jewish people as they first pursued in the notorious Evian Conference of 1938 when Europe agreed to seal the fate of European Jewry in the hands of the Nazis.  Well, this is not 1938, and Israel is not the plaything of Europe’s to decide the fate of her people.

In addition to the expulsion of the diplomats for the countries now making economic war on the people of Israel, Israel should pursue a policy such that for every Israeli sanctioned by the European powers, Israel should oversee the destruction of one illegal Arab settlement which receives or has received funding from Europe.

Britain, France and Canada say they will introduce national measures targeting settlement goods as 12 governments coordinate new economic pressure on Israel.

By: Ron East | TheJ.ca | September 8, 2026

Britain, Canada, France and nine other countries announced plans Tuesday to impose or pursue restrictions on trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, marking a significant escalation in international economic pressure over Israel’s settlement policies.

The Sept. 8 joint declaration was signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Britain, France and Canada went further, committing to bring forward national measures banning trade in goods from Israeli settlements.

The broader group said its members would introduce national restrictions, support European restrictions, or consider such measures under their domestic procedures.

The distinction is important. The 12 governments have not all imposed an identical sanctions regime taking effect immediately.

The announcement nevertheless represents coordinated action by a substantial group of Western governments to economically distinguish Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria from businesses and communities inside Israel’s pre-1967 lines.

Britain also announced additional measures targeting individuals and companies it says facilitate settlement expansion.

The British government has previously imposed asset freezes and other sanctions on Israeli individuals and organizations accused of financing or enabling violence against Palestinians.

Canada Joins Britain And France In Trade Ban Commitment

Canada’s participation places Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government among the countries taking the strongest position in Tuesday’s declaration.

The joint statement said Britain, France and Canada would “bring forward national measures to ban trade in settlement goods.”

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium were cited as countries that have already taken action, although the Netherlands and Belgium were not among the 12 signatories to Tuesday’s declaration.

The statement followed mounting diplomatic pressure over Israel’s plans for additional construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem.

The governments said Israeli settlement expansion and what they described as unprecedented levels of settler violence were undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.

They demanded that Israel halt settlement expansion, address violence by Israeli settlers and investigate allegations involving Israeli forces.

The governments also reaffirmed Israel’s security rights and condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, describing it as “the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust.”

They said they remained committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a Palestinian state would exist alongside one another.

Britain Announces Broader Restrictions

The British measures are expected to go beyond a simple import prohibition.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that Britain would prohibit trade connected to Israeli settlements that London considers illegal under international law.

The restrictions are expected to cover settlement goods and certain services associated with settlement activity, including areas such as financing and real estate.

Britain has also signaled targeted action against people and entities it believes are involved in expanding Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines.

The measures are expected to require legislation and are not all taking effect immediately.

British authorities have previously advised businesses against conducting economic or financial activity in Israeli settlements, including investments, purchases, financial transactions and tourism services.

Products originating in Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines have also long been excluded from preferential tariff treatment under Britain’s trade arrangements with Israel.

Tuesday’s announcement moves British policy from business guidance and differentiated tariff treatment toward a prohibition on trade.

Judea And Samaria At Centre Of International Dispute

The territories at the center of the measures are known in Israel and Jewish historical terminology as Judea and Samaria, and are commonly referred to internationally as the West Bank.

Israel captured the territory from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Jordan occupied the area from 1948 until 1967, and only a small number of countries recognized its annexation.

The status of Israeli communities established there remains one of the central disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Britain, Canada, France and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law.

Israel disputes that characterization.

Israeli governments have argued that the territory is disputed rather than sovereign Palestinian territory and have pointed to the Jewish people’s historical and legal connections to Judea and Samaria, as well as the absence of a recognized Palestinian sovereign in the territory before 1967.

Successive Israeli governments have also maintained that the territory’s ultimate status should be resolved through negotiations.

The issue has become increasingly contentious as Israel has expanded communities and infrastructure in parts of Judea and Samaria.

E1 Development Triggered New Pressure

A central issue behind the latest international action is Israel’s E1 development plan.

The project involves construction east of Jerusalem near Ma’ale Adumim.

Opponents argue development there would make the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state substantially more difficult. Israel has rejected claims that the project makes a negotiated settlement impossible.

On Aug. 20, Canada joined Britain, France and numerous other governments in demanding that Israel withdraw the E1 construction tenders.

Those governments also issued an unusually direct warning to private companies.

They told businesses not to bid on E1 construction contracts and warned of potential legal and reputational consequences.

Tuesday’s trade announcement represents the next stage of that pressure.

Economic Impact Could Be Limited, Political Impact Larger

The immediate economic effect of the trade restrictions may be relatively modest because products originating specifically in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria account for a small portion of Israel’s overall international trade.

The political significance could be considerably greater.

The measures create a formal economic distinction between Israel within the pre-1967 lines and Israeli-controlled territory beyond them.

That distinction has long been promoted by European governments that oppose broader boycotts of Israel while supporting economic measures directed specifically at settlements.

Britain has explicitly said it wants to preserve trade with Israeli businesses outside the targeted areas.

Earlier this year, the British government said it was important to “differentiate between trade with illegal settlements and trade with businesses and organizations across Israel.”

The new policy therefore does not constitute a general trade embargo against Israel.

Previous Sanctions Targeted Israelis And Organizations

Tuesday’s announcement follows earlier coordinated sanctions imposed by several Western governments.

In June, Britain worked with Canada, France, Norway, Australia and New Zealand on measures targeting people and entities accused of financing or enabling violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.

Britain sanctioned six entities and one individual in that round.

Canada also imposed sanctions under its Special Economic Measures regulations targeting what Ottawa described as facilitators of extremist settler violence.

Those measures included asset freezes and other financial restrictions.

The new trade measures differ because they could affect commerce based primarily on where goods are produced, rather than requiring a company or individual to be specifically designated for alleged violent conduct.

Twelve Governments Coordinate Pressure

The countries participating in Tuesday’s declaration are Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Their governments said the objective was to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution and prevent what they regard as de facto annexation.

They also said they opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians.

The statement included explicit recognition of Israel’s security concerns and condemnation of Hamas terrorism, but placed the responsibility for the measures on Israeli government policy in Judea and Samaria.

The decision is likely to deepen tensions between Israel and several allied governments at a time when relations are already strained over Palestinian statehood, settlement construction and the future political status of Judea and Samaria.

For Canada, France and Britain in particular, Tuesday’s announcement represents a move beyond diplomatic condemnation toward direct restrictions on commerce connected to Israeli communities beyond the pre-1967 lines.