Chief Rabbi Sir Eprhaim Mirvis has said the Government’s plan to sanction Israel over settlements risks “inflicting real harm” in the Middle East and appears to be driven by “domestic political considerations”.
The warning came in a strongly outspoken statement after a meeting with the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband on Friday.
The leader of Britain’s community said that many Jews will “view such measures with dismay” and warned that any planned measures will have a “disproportionate effect” on families in this country with ties to Israel.
Rabbi Mirvis also raised the danger of fuelling antisemitism, given that as “rhetoric towards Israel escalates, hostility towards Jews is never far behind”.
Condemning violence against Palestinians, he said the planned sanctions will only “embolden” extremists in Israel who support such attacks, while also threatening the jobs of tens of thousands of Palestinian workers.
The Chief Rabbi’s statement follows the recent reaction by the UK to Israel’s plan for 1,200 new homes in the E1 area of east Jerusalem.
Last week, Miliband condemned it as “unacceptable and destructive” and warned of “a comprehensive set of measures” to be set out soon, possibly before the Labour party conference next month.
Rabbi Mirvis points out that the E1 area would remain under Israeli control under previous plans for a two-state solution, and says it is therefore difficult to avoid the “painful conclusion” that UK foreign policy is driven by “domestic political considerations”.
Rabbi Mirvis said in the statement in a post on X today: “I welcomed the opportunity on Friday to meet with the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon. Ed Miliband.
“While we share fervent hopes for a future of peace and security in the Middle East, I explained why I believe the UK Government’s intended sanctions will be counter-productive and even endanger such a vision of peace.
“I told the Foreign Secretary that many within the UK Jewish community will view such measures with deep dismay, at a time when the vilification of Jews, Judaism and the Jewish State has already reached unprecedented levels.
“The intended policy will not influence Israeli decision-making in the way the Government intends. Instead, it risks inflicting real harm across the region.
“Given the obvious challenges of defining and implementing such measures, there is a clear danger that they will spiral into a de facto boycott of trade with Israel more broadly, damaging the long-term relationship between our two countries and threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Palestinian workers.
“These measures will also disproportionately affect British Jews because of our close religious, family, charitable and educational ties to Israel.
“Over recent years, we have seen repeatedly that when rhetoric towards Israel escalates, hostility towards Jews is never far behind.
“I strongly condemn the reprehensible violence perpetrated against Palestinians by a small number of extremists, yet the UK Government’s proposals will only embolden the tiny minority who support such criminality, while penalising countless others who abhor it.
“The stated justification for punishing an ally in this way, is Israel’s long-planned construction of homes in the E1 area. Yet successive peace efforts, from Oslo to Camp David and beyond, have envisaged a final agreement in which this area would remain under Israeli sovereignty.
“It is therefore difficult to escape the painful conclusion that domestic political considerations are driving foreign policy, the impact of which is negative both for prospects for peace in the Middle East and for the UK Jewish community.”
It is not clear what form Britain sanctions will take, but critics have pointed out that measures intended to target settlements may have a far wider-ranging effect on other trade with Israel.
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