Israel has become the most boycotted country in the world, facing a wave of international sanctions targeting its government officials, settlers and institutions, a report by Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth has revealed.
According to the report, France recently barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, following a similar ban it had earlier imposed on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
It said that the French move came in response to both ministers’ active promotion of West Bank annexation, new settlements and policies seen as undermining the Palestinian Authority.
The United Nations (UN) considers the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory. Its annexation by Israel would effectively eliminate the possibility of an independent Palestinian state under international resolutions.
Yedioth Ahronoth noted that before October 7, 2023, Israel had largely managed to contain the impact of boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns.
Economic sanctions had little effect given Israel’s economy, while academic and cultural boycotts remained mostly symbolic. Since then, the newspaper said that the situation had shifted considerably, with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement – aimed at ending international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians – recording gains across multiple areas.
The report also pointed to artists refusing to perform in Israel, authors declining Hebrew translations of their work and campaigns pushing to exclude Israel from events such as Eurovision and FIFA competitions. It also noted growing efforts to pull foreign investments, including Norway’s sovereign wealth fund divesting from Israeli companies.
It said that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) blacklist targets Israeli and international companies operating beyond the Green Line, referring to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The newspaper also said that footage of settlers engaging in violence against Palestinians and property in the West Bank had added to international pressure, as had public statements and actions by ministers, particularly a widely circulated video showing Ben-Gvir humiliating flotilla participants headed to Gaza.
