Miliband’s sanctions hand Netanyahu a lifeline

 A survey conducted for the European Leadership Network (Elnet) found 28 per cent of Israelis were “more likely” to back political parties that “prioritise Israeli security” – typically considered to be parties on the Israeli Right – as a result of British sanctions.

Merlin, the polling firm, which surveyed more than 800 eligible voters this month, also found the intervention by the Foreign Secretary made 20 per cent of those surveyed “more likely” to support Israeli settlements.

Some 12 per cent of voters said they were “more likely” to back members of the Knesset who would “refuse to bow to criticism by foreign allies”, compared with 9 per cent who said Mr Miliband’s sanctions would make them “less likely” to do so.

In September, Mr Miliband accused Israeli settlers of “ethnic cleansing” while announcing wide-reaching sanctions including a ban on all goods produced in “illegal settlements in the occupied territories”. It was the lowest point in relations between Britain and Israel since the Jewish state had been founded.

At the time, Jewish Labour groups warned that announcing sanctions weeks before the Israeli elections could backfire as it would shore up support for Right-wing parties that would push for the construction of even more settlements in the disputed territories.

Lahav Harkov, a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, said international pressure on Israel tended to “bolster Netanyahu and the Israeli Right”.

She added: “More centrist Israelis who do not strongly support settlements still tend to view international interventions at this level as undermining Israel’s independence and sovereignty, and as the Right is generally considered to be less susceptible to international pressure, it comes as no surprise that Israelis say Labour policies would push them Right.”

Some of the responses to the poll echo this sentiment. Voters responded to the pollsters with comments such as “when foreign governments start sanctioning us, it brings us together”, “I don’t want British politicians deciding what Israel should do”, and “Israel needs to be secure, despite what other countries say or do”.

A question on voters’ views of leaders at home and abroad showed Donald Trump winning the most favourable responses, with voters mostly answering “don’t know” when questioned about Mr Miliband or Andy Burnham.

In response to the sanctions announcement, Mr Netanyahu’s government ordered the closure of Britain’s consulate in Jerusalem in a show of strength, although a compromise later meant the premises, renamed the UK Mission, have remained open.

Israel also banned 11 hard-Left British MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, from entering the country.

Nadav Eyal, a leading Israeli journalist and political commentator, said: “This poll illustrates a familiar paradox in Israeli politics.

“External pressure, particularly sanctions, tends to harden the resolve of the Israeli Right, reinforcing its determination to demonstrate that Israel will not be swayed by the international community.

“Yet the other side of the paradox is equally clear: Israelis are deeply concerned about their country’s deteriorating international standing and the consequences of growing isolation in a globalised world.

“The instinct to resist external pressure coexists with a profound anxiety about its consequences.”

On Tuesday, Israelis will head to the polls for the first time since 2022 to vote for a new government.

Because Israel uses proportional voting, its government is typically a coalition, and the latest polling by Israel’s Channel 12 shows the anti-Netanyahu bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot winning 55 seats and Mr Netanyahu’s bloc achieving 51 seats.

A government must command 61 seats to have an outright majority.

A spokesman for Elnet UK, which commissioned the polling, said: “Israel is a key strategic ally of the UK, and a much-needed ally, in a dangerous world. This polling shows the need for a rethink on sanctions.”