Hawzah News Agency- While European Union governments struggle to agree on coordinated measures, segments of European society are taking steps to impose practical costs on the continuation of Israeli policies.
In a report from Brussels, The Guardian correspondent Jennifer Rankin examines the contrast between rising public anger across Europe and the EU’s inability to translate it into a common policy.
Despite a shift in Britain’s position, including London’s announcement of broad trade sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements and its condemnation of what it described as ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, these steps have yet to translate into collective European action on the scale anticipated.
France and Canada have joined commitments to restrict settlement products and penalize entities that facilitate or benefit from settlement activities.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the repercussions could extend beyond companies operating in settlements to other Israeli businesses, as foreign companies may prefer to avoid Israeli suppliers to reduce legal and commercial risks.
Opinion polls reveal a widening gap between official policies and the views of large segments of the public. According to a Pew Research Center survey covering 10 European countries, unfavorable views of “Israel” increased in several countries compared with the previous year.
The proportion of respondents expressing negative views reached 75% in Italy, 73% in Germany, and 70% in Poland, indicating that criticism is no longer confined to countries most supportive of the Palestinian cause.
These developments do not mean Europe has agreed on a unified policy or that public opposition will automatically translate into a comprehensive trade and arms embargo. They do, however, point to a changing European environment in which government positions are no longer the sole factor shaping relations with the Zionist entity.
Governments may continue to delay action, but the growing number of European societies and institutions withdrawing their ethical and commercial support for the Israeli occupation entity is gradually narrowing the room for maneuver available to it.
Source: Al Manar
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