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Israeli Columnist Warns Netanyahu Win Could Trigger Isolation
(MENAFN) Israel faces deepening international isolation that could soon hit Israelis' finances, banks and air travel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power, prominent columnist Nahum Barnea warned Monday as boycott calls gain momentum.
In a column for Yedioth Ahronoth, Barnea wrote that European governments are holding back sanctions until after Israel's Oct. 27 election. He said measures tied to settlements in the occupied West Bank could widen to cover businesses, visas, sports, culture and research, as pressure builds across Europe to isolate Israel.
Public demand in Europe for a boycott is rising, Barnea said. “Our problem, unfortunately, is with democratic countries. With dictatorships, for the moment, we are getting along rather well,” he wrote. He added: “The boycott impulse has spread through sports, culture and academia.”
He cited the Irish Football Association, which had urged UEFA to suspend Israel's membership, and Irish and other European broadcasters that had moved to boycott Eurovision over Israel's participation. Barnea also cautioned that the pressure could extend to international programs in which Israel still takes part, including the EU's Horizon Europe research program.
On travel, Barnea pointed to the cancellation of a flight from Israel to Mauritius after Mauritian authorities refused an Air Seychelles aircraft permission to land.
“From there, the possibilities multiply: airlines denied refueling, flights from Tel Aviv canceled, weapons shipments prevented from being loaded or unloaded,” he wrote. A decision by a workers' union, air traffic controllers, baggage handlers or security staff could be enough to disrupt transport, he said.
“In my view, what begins in Europe will not necessarily remain there,” Barnea said.
He also warned of what a Netanyahu victory would mean. “If he succeeds in forming the next government, that fact alone may be enough for many of Israel’s opponents abroad,” Barnea wrote. Netanyahu, he said, “is no longer merely a politician who appears in the news. He is a symbol and a global brand.”
International calls to boycott Israel have intensified over its war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 and its illegal settlement policies in the occupied West Bank.
In a column for Yedioth Ahronoth, Barnea wrote that European governments are holding back sanctions until after Israel's Oct. 27 election. He said measures tied to settlements in the occupied West Bank could widen to cover businesses, visas, sports, culture and research, as pressure builds across Europe to isolate Israel.
Public demand in Europe for a boycott is rising, Barnea said. “Our problem, unfortunately, is with democratic countries. With dictatorships, for the moment, we are getting along rather well,” he wrote. He added: “The boycott impulse has spread through sports, culture and academia.”
He cited the Irish Football Association, which had urged UEFA to suspend Israel's membership, and Irish and other European broadcasters that had moved to boycott Eurovision over Israel's participation. Barnea also cautioned that the pressure could extend to international programs in which Israel still takes part, including the EU's Horizon Europe research program.
On travel, Barnea pointed to the cancellation of a flight from Israel to Mauritius after Mauritian authorities refused an Air Seychelles aircraft permission to land.
“From there, the possibilities multiply: airlines denied refueling, flights from Tel Aviv canceled, weapons shipments prevented from being loaded or unloaded,” he wrote. A decision by a workers' union, air traffic controllers, baggage handlers or security staff could be enough to disrupt transport, he said.
“In my view, what begins in Europe will not necessarily remain there,” Barnea said.
He also warned of what a Netanyahu victory would mean. “If he succeeds in forming the next government, that fact alone may be enough for many of Israel’s opponents abroad,” Barnea wrote. Netanyahu, he said, “is no longer merely a politician who appears in the news. He is a symbol and a global brand.”
International calls to boycott Israel have intensified over its war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 and its illegal settlement policies in the occupied West Bank.
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