A survey by Israeli social research group aChord last month examined how the UK government’s tougher line on Israel affected Israeli voters. In September, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband imposed a trade ban on goods from illegal settlements and wider sanctions. The decision drew fierce criticism, with some claiming it would push Israeli voters toward Benjamin Netanyahu. The poll found the UK trade ban was not decisive in how Israelis voted.
Awareness of the UK announcement was high: 76% of respondents had heard of it, including 18% who knew only the broad headline. Four-fifths of those aware knew the policy applied to the West Bank and not the whole of Israel. Among supporters of the bloc backing Netanyahu, three-quarters said UK sanctions and the trade ban did not affect their vote at all; where the measures changed votes, they shifted voters both ways and produced no detectable net effect. Relations with the West were important or very important to 60% of supporters of the Change bloc backing Gadi Eisenkot when deciding their vote, but that ranked fifth among six motives. Only 30% of Netanyahu bloc supporters said the same. The survey showed overall support for foreign sanctions on violent settlers in the West Bank, but little support for the UK trade ban, with many fearing it would be extended across Israel.
On policy, 71% of Change bloc voters said the Israeli government should adapt its settlements policy to avoid an escalation of sanctions, compared with 14% of Netanyahu bloc voters. Most of the latter said the government should continue the policy whatever the price. A 50% plurality of the public said settlement and construction policy in the West Bank should be adjusted to avoid sanctions escalation and international isolation; 71% of Eisenkot bloc supporters agreed, and support for a change was strongest among Arab party supporters. Hannah Weisfeld, director of the British-Jewish organisation Yachad, said the research showed Israelis recognise that without a policy shift on settlement enterprise, the international community is likely to try to create incentives from outside, highlighting the importance of action by the UK and other allies.
The survey also suggested personal costs shape views. Only 36% of all respondents agreed the settlement policy should continue even if sanctions on banks financing construction in illegal settlements led to higher interest rates, difficulties transferring money abroad or problems using credit cards abroad. A majority, 52%, supported sanctions on individual violent settlers, provided they applied only to those acting violently, but 70% of Netanyahu bloc supporters opposed foreign sanctions in all circumstances. On the UK trade ban, 63% of all respondents opposed banning imports of goods from illegal settlements, while 26% supported the measure outright or said they would if it were clarified that it would not apply to goods from outside settlements.
Sources: The Guardian World.