By:  Fern Sidman

The British government’s decision this week to sanction four Israeli entities and three individuals for allegedly supporting “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria has sparked a furious response from Jerusalem, with Israeli officials accusing London of moral incoherence, political opportunism, and historical myopia.

As reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) on Tuesday, the sanctions include financial restrictions, travel bans, and director disqualifications targeting groups and individuals engaged in building and sustaining Jewish life across Judea and Samaria — biblical territories that much of the international community refers to as the “West Bank.” The move is being widely condemned in Israel as a blatantly one-sided action that ignores the wave of Palestinian terror that has plagued the region for years.

According to JNS, the four sanctioned entities are the Nachala Settlement Movement, a longstanding organization focused on developing Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza region, Libi Construction and Infrastructure Ltd., based near Shiloh, an area central to Jewish historical heritage, as well as Neriya’s Farm and Coco’s Farm, both agricultural outposts in central Samaria that have often been targeted by Palestinian attackers.

Among the individuals sanctioned are Daniella Weiss, chairwoman of the Nachala Movement and a well-known activist for Jewish resettlement, Harel “Coco” Libi, owner of the eponymous construction firm and Zohar Sabah, a rancher from Samaria who, as the JNS report noted, was indicted but not convicted in an incident involving violence in a Palestinian village.

Yet, despite the absence of a judicial verdict in Sabah’s case, the UK acted unilaterally and without due process, raising concerns in Israel that political pressure is replacing legal standards.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in announcing the move, claimed that the sanctioned parties had “supported violence against Palestinians” and warned that Israel’s failure to curb settler activity is threatening the viability of a two-state solution. Lammy’s office also hinted at further steps, including freezing talks over a new free-trade agreement with Israel and summoning Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely for formal reprimand.

“The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions,” Lammy said, a statement quoted in JNS.

The reaction in Israel was swift and forceful. Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the sanctions as “unjustified and regrettable,” citing recent examples of Palestinian terrorism — including the murder of Tzeela Gez, a 30-year-old Israeli woman gunned down while on her way to deliver her baby. Her newborn remains in critical condition.

“The British Mandate ended exactly 77 years ago,” Marmorstein posted on social media, a comment prominently cited by JNS. “External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction.”

Marmorstein also accused the British government of engaging in “anti-Israel obsession” and using the sanctions for domestic political gain at the expense of bilateral economic interests. “If, due to domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy, that is its own prerogative,” he added.

What many Israeli analysts and supporters found most troubling, as detailed by JNS, was the glaring asymmetry in the UK’s moral calculus. According to data from Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) and cited in the JNS report, there were 6,343 Palestinian terror attacks against Jews in Judea and Samaria in 2024 alone — including 27 murders and more than 300 injuries. These included stabbings, shootings, rock and Molotov cocktail attacks, and car rammings.

By contrast, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recorded 663 Jewish-perpetrated incidents of violence against Palestinians last year — a 34% decrease from 2023. The JNS report emphasized that these incidents, while condemned by Israeli authorities and prosecuted under Israeli law, are not state-sanctioned, and often represent retaliation for or defense against prior Palestinian aggression.

“The UK government’s decision to impose sanctions while ignoring the thousands of terror attacks against Israeli civilians is not just misguided — it is dangerous,” one senior Israeli official told JNS. “It signals to terrorists that violence works, and to victims that their pain is politically inconvenient.”

At its core, Israeli officials view the British action as part of a broader campaign to delegitimize Jewish presence in the ancestral heartland of Judea and Samaria — areas rich with millennia of Jewish history. As the JNS report noted, the region is home to ancient cities such as Hebron, Shiloh, and Beit El, central to Jewish identity since biblical times.

Sanctioning farmers, builders, and community activists in these areas is seen by many Israelis as a rejection of Jewish indigeneity and a capitulation to the Palestinian narrative that portrays Jews as “colonial occupiers” on their own land.

“This is not just about punishing individuals,” said a source quoted by JNS. “It’s about criminalizing Zionism itself.”

Critics of the UK’s move argue that it reflects a politicized misuse of human rights rhetoric, wherein the right to self-defense and Jewish national expression is delegitimized, while Palestinian violence is rationalized or ignored.

Notably, the JNS report highlighted that the terrorist group Hamas praised the UK’s decision — a fact Israeli leaders see as deeply telling.

“When Hamas applauds your foreign policy, it’s time to ask yourself some serious questions,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar remarked, according to JNS.

With trade relations now in jeopardy and diplomatic ties fraying, the UK’s move to sanction Israeli civilians and businesses based in Judea and Samaria marks a new low in Anglo-Israeli relations. For Israel, the decision reinforces the perception that European powers are once again treating the Jewish state with a unique and prejudicial standard, punishing its citizens while turning a blind eye to the real threat: a sustained campaign of terror and incitement directed at Jews across the region.

As JNS has reported, the British government’s actions will not deter Israel from defending its people. But they may very well damage London’s credibility as a fair broker — not just in the eyes of Israelis, but in the eyes of history.

“This isn’t diplomacy — it’s moral inversion,” one Israeli official concluded. “And Israel will never allow itself to be lectured by those who refuse to see the full picture.”