Beyond symbolic sanctions

EDITORIAL: France’s decision to ban Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, in coordination with Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, reflects growing international unease over Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories. Smotrich is the second member of the Israeli cabinet to face such action from France after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was barred in May. While the move is significant, it raises an uncomfortable question: why has it taken Israel’s closest Western allies so long to respond to policies and actions they have long known to be taking place? For decades, Israel has enjoyed virtually unconditional diplomatic, political and economic support from Western capitals. Even as illegal settlements spread across the occupied West Bank, Palestinian land was steadily appropriated and repeated military operations inflicted immense human suffering; criticism rarely translated into meaningful consequences. The latest sanctions amount to a belated acknowledgment of a reality much of the world has recognised for years. Explaining France’s decision, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot pointed to Smotrich’s advocacy of West Bank annexation, settlement expansion, the weakening of the Palestinian Authority and even the re-colonisation of Gaza. These are no longer fringe positions; they have increasingly become part of the political mainstream within Israel’s governing coalition. Equally alarming is the continuing violence extremist settlers perpetrate against Palestinians in the occupied territories. Human rights organisations and international observers have repeatedly documented attacks on Palestinian communities, destruction of property and forced displacement carried out with near-total impunity. The decision by several Western governments to target not only violent settlers but also the organisations and financial networks supporting them is therefore an implicit admission that settler violence is neither isolated nor spontaneous. Rather, it is inseparable from a broader project aimed at entrenching Israeli control over occupied land and foreclosing the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. Yet sanctions against a handful of individuals, while welcome, remain largely symbolic. The problem is not merely Bezalel Smotrich or Itamar Ben Gvir; it is a system of occupation and settlement expansion that has endured for decades despite repeated international condemnation. Travel bans may signal disapproval, but they do little to alter realities on the ground, where Palestinians continue to endure dispossession, military occupation and escalating violence. If countries such as France and Britain are genuinely committed to the two-state solution they frequently invoke, they must move beyond symbolic gestures. Continued trade, political engagement and diplomatic protection cannot remain insulated from policies that systematically undermine Palestinian statehood. The sanctions, though, send an important message: even Israel’s traditional defenders are finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the consequences of its actions. But unless this move is accompanied by concrete measures that hold Israel accountable for violations of international law and deter further settlement expansion, it will amount to little more than another expression of concern. For Palestinians living under occupation, what matters is not the rhetoric of Western capitals but whether meaningful action is taken to end their long-standing suffering and challenge the impunity that has enabled it. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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