A Chronicle of Isolation, with No Answer: How Israel Is Becoming a Pariah State
In recent days, it has seemed that Israel is under a tsunami of sanctions from various countries around the world. One time it is against ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, another time against settlers, and another time it is an academic boycott by one university or another in Europe. Added to this is the boycott movement, which has been operating against Israel for many years and has intensified greatly since October 7, 2023, with backing and support from countries such as Qatar and various Islamist, Hamas-supporting organizations. Together, this creates a coordinated and cohesive anti-Israel front. Until October 7, Israel managed relatively easily to deal with the damage the boycott movement tried to cause to the country and to Israeli citizens, because it was fairly limited. There were, for example, attempts to harm Israel economically, but they did not succeed because no one wanted to withdraw investments from Israel because of its strong economy. Boycotts in the academic or cultural spheres were also marginal phenomena and were barely felt. But since the massacre, it appears that the government of Israel led by Benjamin Netanyahu has given up and is allowing the phenomenon to run rampant. The boycott movement is achieving no small number of successes that are reflected in a variety of areas. It is succeeding in tarnishing Israel’s name in the world, and this is evident in opinion polls and data showing that Israel is increasingly becoming a pariah state. This takes the form of anti-Israel remarks toward Israelis abroad, or artists refusing to perform in Israel and writers refusing to allow their books to be translated into Hebrew. We have also seen attempts to expel Israel from Eurovision or from FIFA, which are far more dangerous than before. At the same time, there is also a growing effort to withdraw investments from the country and thereby economically strangle Israel, such as the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest investment fund, which withdrew its investments from Israel. The same is true of the blacklist of the United Nations Human Rights Council, whose purpose is to economically harm international and Israeli companies operating beyond the Green Line.
No steps have been taken against Israeli citizens and bodies inside the Green Line, except for the arrest warrants issued by the court in The Hague (ICC) against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. But this is not a phenomenon belonging to the boycott movement alone. Anti-Israel countries in the European Union, such as France, Ireland and Belgium, are also trying to harm Israel from within EU institutions. For example, the damage to Israel’s participation in the Horizon program and in scientific cooperation, with the goal being to "punish" Israel and harm it economically.
As stated, sanctions from various countries are also increasing. The reason for the current tsunami lies in part in reports and videos coming out of the West Bank, in which extremist settlers are seen rampaging, acting violently toward Palestinians and damaging property. These are reinforced by reports of massive construction in the settlements with government backing, and also by the legislation of the death penalty for terrorists law. This is in addition to the fact that the world is tired of the continuation of the war on the various fronts, which is already being felt in fuel prices and falling stock markets, and to statements by ministers in the Israeli government, with above all the video of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir humiliating activists from the Gaza flotilla, a video that many countries saw as crossing a red line. Just yesterday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that his country had decided to ban Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering its territory, after last month a similar decision was already made in France regarding Ben Gvir, in the wake of the flotilla controversy. "Smotrich is actively promoting the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly demands, the establishment of new settlements in the West Bank, resettlement in Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and its devastating consequences for the Palestinian population," Barrot explained. "This is a policy that cannot be accepted by the overwhelming majority of the international community, which remains firmly committed to the two-state solution." France thus joins Ireland, which barred the ministers from entering last week, and Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, which did so already in 2025. The effort to impose personal sanctions on ministers is expected to remain on the agenda of the European Union, and the one who may be harmed is Ben Gvir. "He caused enormous damage to Israel with his behavior around the flotilla," said an Israeli source, "he brought this on himself."
The six countries, France, and others also banned the entry of four senior officials in settler organizations and another 21 settlers. The names have not yet been published. These sanctions are in fact part of a joint move led by France together with five other countries, Britain, Canada, Norway, Australia and New Zealand, to impose sanctions on "actors promoting violence in the West Bank." At the same time, in a statement in the British parliament, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a "plan of action" in response to the "peak in settlement expansion and the rise in violence in the West Bank," and in order to "advance the urgent implementation of the 20-point plan for peace." According to her, the sanctions imposed by the six countries are coordinated against "the financing and support networks of settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank." She also recommended that British businesses avoid activity in the "illegal Israeli settlements." She announced sanctions against six organizations and one individual involved in "financing, encouraging and carrying out settler violence in the occupied West Bank." Canada announced sanctions, including a travel ban and financial sanctions, against two citizens and five organizations or outposts. Australia imposed sanctions earlier this month on three citizens and six outposts. New Zealand barred three Israeli citizens from entering the country, joining a blacklist of 35 people who are banned from entry, among them Ben Gvir, Smotrich, Daniella Weiss, the head of the Amana movement Ze'ev Hever (Zambish), Elisha Yered, Noam Federman, Baruch Marzel and Bentzi Gopstein.
In response to the new sanctions by the six countries, the Foreign Ministry said, "Israel strongly rejects the disgraceful measures adopted by foreign governments against Israeli citizens, bodies and a minister in the government. The true essence of these measures, disguised as measures against violence, is an attempt to impose a political position regarding the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What these governments have in common is their loud failure in the fight against the antisemitism prevailing in their own countries." According to the ministry, "anti-Israel policy of the kind they have adopted only fuels this antisemitism. Surprisingly, these governments have also failed to impose sanctions or take action against the phenomena that truly drive the violence, the Palestinian Authority’s payment policy to terrorists, 'pay for slay,' and incitement."
In addition to the sanctions, last week the authorities in France opened an investigation centered on suspicions of torture and war crimes, after Foreign Minister Barrot filed a complaint over abuse of French citizens who took part in the flotilla to Gaza, following Ben Gvir’s video. Italy, also a country friendly to Israel, announced that it would open an investigation against Ben Gvir over the humiliation of Italian citizens in the flotilla. The minister’s aggressive response only intensified the crisis. "The land of pasta has become the land of flip-flops," Ben Gvir said. "Israel is not the punching bag of a bunch of lying terror supporters who invent libels and lies against our fighters. I am not deterred by one investigation or another and will continue to stand proudly with our fighters." Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani responded: "I have no words to describe Ben Gvir’s remarks toward Italy. Unacceptable statements that we reject outright. They are unworthy of a minister."
In Brussels, this is apparently not the end. The European Union, which unites 27 countries, has already managed to reach consensus on imposing sanctions on extremist settlers, and a move is now gathering momentum aimed at passing a decision at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on June 15 to impose sanctions on Smotrich and Ben Gvir. Germany opposes sanctions on Smotrich but may support sanctions against Ben Gvir, although even that may be prevented by a Czech veto. According to estimates by people familiar with the discussions, the chances of advancing significant economic measures against Israel at this stage are relatively low, but the effort to impose personal sanctions on Israeli ministers is expected to remain on the table even if it is not approved at the upcoming meeting. One person familiar with the details said that Ben Gvir caused enormous damage to Israel through his conduct around the flotilla, and "he brought it on himself." Another senior Israeli source said: "I do not currently see sanctions on Israeli ministers, but things could change by next week. It is more likely regarding Ben Gvir, because of the video of humiliating the flotilla activists. As for sanctions on settlement products, that also does not seem likely right now. As an alternative, they are beginning to impose national sanctions, including against ministers."
Beyond the harm to Israeli citizens and the attempts to damage the economy, there is a greater danger behind these phenomena. If 20 or 30 years ago BDS activists tried to force Israel into negotiations with the Palestinians in order to realize the vision of two states, today it is clear that this is not the goal. The boycott movement is trying to fatally damage the State of Israel until it is no longer legitimate in the eyes of the nations of the world and cannot exist. Faced with this danger, the Israeli government is doing nothing. It does not treat this as a front in its own right, does not mobilize world Jewry or friendly governments, and does not act decisively against the funding of boycott organizations, money that comes from Turkey, Qatar and Islamist organizations around the world. Even if it comes to its senses, or there is a change of government and the new government acts, it will take at least one or two years before a change is felt, and that too will of course depend on what is happening on the various fronts.
First published: 00:05, 11.06.26
