These Actions by European Nations Bring New Urgency to Standing With Israel

On September 8, the United Kingdom announced the decision to introduce a ban on imported goods from so-called “illegal” settlements in Judea & Samaria (also known as the West Bank). The measure also includes sanctions aimed at individuals or businesses that provide support or assistance for the construction or financing of settlements in Judea & Samaria. 

This announcement and the recent actions of other European countries is a stark reminder of why Blessed Buy Israel was founded 10 years ago with the mission of standing against efforts to economically isolate the Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria. The growing effort by European governments to restrict, isolate, and ultimately prevent trade with these small businesses and families directly targets the very people Blessed Buy Israel exists to support. These measures do not change our mission. Instead, they reaffirm why that mission was necessary in the first place and why we must and will continue it with even greater resolve.

An anti-Israel protester holds a sign supporting "Palestine"

The United Kingdom is not acting alone. France and Canada have announced similar restrictions, while several other European countries have announced, supported, or are considering restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements. Spain has already prohibited the importation of goods originating from Israeli settlements, while the Netherlands is set to implement its ban this month with violations carrying penalties of up to six years in prison or substantial fines. 

In other words, the very act of buying and selling products from these communities, the very reason we exist, is being targeted and criminalized by countries across the world.

New Methods, Same Old Lies

These moves are nothing more than a continuation of the despicable attempts to target the Jewish people returning to their ancestral homeland. It is another manifestation of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement which seeks to destroy and isolate Israeli pioneers, farmers, artisans, small business owners, communities, and families who live and work in the Heartland of the Jewish people. 

Blessed Buy Israel was founded to combat this very spirit of hatred and antisemitism against God’s chosen people and Land. In 2015, the European Union introduced guidelines singling out products made in Judea & Samaria and preventing them from being labeled as “made in Israel.” Then, in early 2016, U.S. Customs also reiterated Clinton-era country-of-origin requirements under which products from the West Bank could not be marked “Made in Israel.”

Seeing the rising tide of attacks and antisemitism against Israel even then, we started Blessed Buy Israel as a way to respond.

Young men tend to a date palm tree at Einot Kedem Farm in the Jordan Valley. The European Boycott Laws would make it illegal for citizens to buy Einot Kedem Date Honey and Olive Oil.

We Said Never Again and We Mean It

Now, the tide of antisemitism seems to grow stronger every day, while the number of those willing to speak out against it seems to grow smaller. The horrific attack by Hamas on October 7th against innocent men, women, and children was an opportunity for the world to recognize the reality of the battle we are fighting between good and evil. Instead, antisemitism exploded around the world, while the government of one of Israel’s longstanding allies is now accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in Judea & Samaria and claiming that these measures are necessary to preserve a “two-state solution.” 

For many years following the Holocaust, the world has repeated the slogan “Never again.” Yet the measures announced yesterday bear alarming parallels to the Nazi boycotts of Jewish shops and products in the 1930s. And yet, the vast majority of the world is not only silent, they are actively supporting these modern-day boycotts of Jewish families and business in their ancestral homeland.

We are proud to stand with the pioneers of the biblical heartland, Judea and Samaria

Here at Blessed Buy Israel, we believe that Judea & Samaria is the biblical Heartland of Israel, promised to Abraham and his descendants forever. We believe that the pioneers returning to and rebuilding their ancient homeland are fulfilling the prophecies spoken by God through the prophets.

We are proud to stand with the small businesses and families whom the world has chosen to target. We will continue to support them by providing a way for people to purchase products made in Judea & Samaria, while telling the stories of the courageous men and women who have returned to the Land and are creating these products. 

Our mission has always been simple. We recognize the hand of God in the restoration of the Land of Israel, including its Heartland, Judea & Samaria. We will continue to bless Israel by supporting the people who live, work, create, and build there. 

Today, we invite everyone who stands with Judea & Samaria to join us in standing with the people affected by these measures. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet.” Isaiah 62:1.