Europeans Seek to Put Teeth into Objection to Planned Annexation by Israel

European states won’t be satisfied asserting their usual criticisms and condemnations of Israeli policies when it comes to the issue of annexing parts of the West Bank and Jordan Valley. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said areas conquered in the 1967 war, where Jewish Israeli communities have grown up over the past 50 years, will at last become fully integrated as part of the nation. Specifically, there will no longer be any differences in laws as applied to those who live in post-1967 areas. But the rhetoric opposing the move, despite its apparent support from the American government, portends an international rebuke of Israel greater than that which had been predicted prior to President Donald Trump moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While the response never measured up to the threats, the annexation issue is already different by virtue of European efforts under way to put teeth into their reactions. To that end, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland plan to use the foreign ministers’ meeting on Friday to put economic sanctions against the Jewish state behind the European Union’s threat. The EU is Israel’s main trading partner, so the repercussions could be great. But the need to gain unanimity among the 27 member nations is an extremely formidable task, and most observers believe that while Israel will lose the public relations battle, it remains unlikely that this opposition will ever reach the point of sanctions. Many also believe that once the next Netanyahu government is formed, the five-time-premier will have the wiggle room he needs to let the issue slide through his 18-month tenure with an even greater degree of certainty that his successor, political newbie Benny Gantz, will not be up to the challenge of taking on half of his country and most of the international community on the matter – and that is assuming that President Trump is reelected.