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A parliamentary petition was launched in the UK last month calling for sanctions against the Israeli regime, blocking all trade, especially arms exports. The petition received more than 386,000 signatures and forced the UK parliament to discuss the issue. The British government’s response was clear: it stated that it had acted against sanctions and boycotts against Israel, referring to their “close relationship”.
In Ireland, the issue of sanctions against Israel also arose in an amendment to a motion condemning the “de facto annexation” of Palestinian land. While the amendment was not passed, the issue of penalties came to the fore.
The push for demand and correction has come from a sharp backlash by the Israeli regime in recent months against the strong violence the Israeli regime is inflicting on Palestinians, including the recent bombing of the Gaza Israeli regime in which more than 256 Palestinians were killed. including 66 children.
However, the call to punish Israel has long been at the heart of the Palestinian struggle. In fact, it is a key pillar of the Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement – which launched in 2005 to put pressure on people to comply with international law by imposing sanctions on Israel apartheid. These include banning business with illegal Israeli settlements, ending free trade agreements, reducing military trade, and suspending Israel from membership in international forums such as United Nations agencies, sports federations, international cultural organizations, and others.
The League of Nations ordered international sanctions more than a century ago as a way to prevent attacks and war. Since then, they have been included in the international legal regime as an appropriate and effective way to punish those who violate international law by third countries.
For example, internal arms embargoes against the apartheid regime in South Africa were used to help end racist rule over the country. Recently, in 2014, the European Union adopted sanctions on Russia after the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.
But punishments have also been used as collective punishments. For example, the United States imposed an embargo on all trade with Cuba in 1962, three years after the Cuban Revolution ousted the pro-US government. The Cuban economy and the people as a whole have had a devastating impact.
Although sanctions continue to be misused, many see them as a legitimate tool for combating violations of international law.
EU Secretary-General Josep Borrell recently told the UN Security Council:[Sanctions] they are a key tool for preventing violations of international law, the proliferation of weapons, the placing of weapons in war zones … aimed at people who fight human rights violations and seek to undermine peace processes … They are designed to bring about change in politics or activity. “
According to Borrell’s logic, there is no reason why sanctions should not be imposed on the Israeli regime because of numerous violations of international law. However, the Israeli regime, which human rights organizations have described as apartheid and is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes against the Palestinian people, has not been punished.
In fact, it is noteworthy that although so far all Israeli governments violate Palestinian rights, those who violate international law have been punished by Western countries, otherwise those who violate international law have not done so with Israel. Not only that, the Israeli regime continues to have full diplomatic and trade relations with most of the international community.
Israel remains a member of media bodies such as Eurovision and European Union research projects such as Horizon 2020. It also provides non-profit weapons and financial support. The U.S., Israel’s most generous aid, has provided $ 146 billion in military and financial assistance to date. European countries have also sided with the Israeli military, donating 777 million euros ($ 927 million) in arms between 2013 and 2017.
Clearly, the Israeli regime is not a pariah state that it should be. The mere suggestion to punish the Israeli regime also provokes exceptional cries and tendencies towards it. However, sanctions, as described in international law, are a direct response to Israel’s ongoing actions that undermine international law. Failure to use it against the Israeli regime is a mockery of the international legal order and human rights.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the attitude of the Al Jazeera editorial.
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