With Andy Burnham’s government preparing to unveil sanctions against Israel, the pro-Palestinian lobby and the left more broadly has grounds for celebration. This is a victory for their anti-Zionist worldview. The pretext for the sanctions is Israeli settlement-building, something the British government has consistently condemned, but the context is a highly effective (and handsomely funded) campaign since October 7 to demonise Israel so thoroughly in the minds of Western populations that many formerly sympathetic to the Jewish state would turned sceptical, if not hostile, as some have in recent times.
While the government’s Palestine pivot is largely motivated by domestic concerns, the campaign to bring it about was orchestrated overseas with the aim of driving a wedge between Israel and the West
Some of that is an organic process. Israel’s errors military and diplomatic have alienated long-term friends, as has the presence around the cabinet table of Itamar Ben Gvir, a loudmouthed simpleton, and Bezalel Smotrich, a dangerous fanatic. But much of it is the result of a propaganda war funded by Qatar and Iran, Islamic states suspiciously eager to separate Western nations from a country known for its advanced defence technology, unparalleled intelligence, and expertise in identifying and breaking up Islamist terror cells. The frustration you feel towards Israel might well be sincere, but ask yourself why Islamic regimes are so keen for you to feel that way.
