By treating Israel as a pariah, the UK just handed Trump a reason to abandon Britain
Last week, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced an extraordinary measure — sanctions on an ostensibly allied nation, Israel. Joining the likes of Spain and Ireland, he denounced Jewish settlers in the West Bank as “terrorists” and accused them of “ethnic cleansing.” This move is widely recognized as a serious diplomatic escalation and has been met with defiance from the Israeli government.
Treating Israel as a pariah may prove to be another of the Labour Party’s major strategic blunders. To be sure, settler violence has undermined the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, and all parties involved have an interest in putting a stop to it. But these sanctions are more symbolic than substantive — there is little chance they will achieve anything except diminishing Britain’s influence in the Middle East and leverage with Israel. Furthermore, this policy is likely to drive the troubling wedge between the United Kingdom and the United States even deeper.
Europe’s biggest strategic vulnerability right now is America’s crisis of confidence. Elements within President Donald Trump’s administration, such as Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of war for policy, have been calling for a pivot away from the continent so the U.S. can focus on security concerns in other parts of the world. Trump himself is clearly more fixated on his war with Iran — since its outbreak, he has frequently berated European allies for being less than helpful.
The paradox here is that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham seems to acknowledge the threats facing the “special relationship.” Since coming to power, he has taken a far more conciliatory approach to Trump than his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. Earlier this summer, for example, Burnham gave the green light for American forces to use certain British bases to conduct strikes against the Islamic Republic. He has also notably toned down his criticisms of Trump and even plans to have talks with Trump in New York during this month’s United Nations General Assembly. Burnham clearly understands that repairing relations is essential to U.K. security priorities, perhaps most importantly when it comes to resisting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Eastern Europe.
The problem is that Labour’s leadership is held captive to the left flank of the party. For years, its hardcore socialist members have been pursuing an anti-Israel obsession widely denounced as antisemitic. In 2023, Labour even expelled the party’s former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, for his role in protecting and promoting some of the most virulently radical voices. Despite those measures, elements of the party continue to cloak their antisemitic hate in the rhetoric of “anti-imperialism,” and have been conducting a pressure campaign to force Burnham’s hand. With Tuesday’s new sanctions policy, Labour’s leadership has finally buckled in the face of the mob.
Read more in the Washington Examiner.
