Israel urges the U.K. government to reverse “without delay” its decision to sanction private Israeli associations, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli writes in a letter sent on Sunday to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The letter was delivered in response to Britain’s sanctions imposed on June 9 together with Australia, Canada, France and Norway on one Israeli individual and six entities allegedly “involved in financing, enabling and carrying out settler violence in the occupied West Bank.”
Chikli writes that these organizations are “lawful entities established and operating under Israeli law,” with some receiving support from the government, and that acting against them effectively passes judgment against Israeli institutions and undermines “the authority of Israel’s legal and regulatory framework.”
The U.K.’s decision “is particularly concerning given the absence of any transparent evidentiary process. Sanctions are among the most severe tools available to governments and should not be employed on the basis of untested allegations, politically motivated claims, or information that has not been properly scrutinized with the relevant authorities,” the letter states.
The Israeli minister adds that sanctions do not advance peace, stability or human rights; rather, “they deepen divisions, erode trust, and create discriminatory treatment toward Israeli organizations and institutions.”
The letter calls for an immediate suspension of the economic boycott; provision of the “full evidentiary basis” that led to the decision; “a meaningful opportunity” for the affected associations to respond to allegations against them; and direct engagement with the Israeli government before taking further action.
