B’nai B’rith International expressed deep disappointment with the decision by 12 European and North American countries, including Portugal, to introduce, support, or consider new trade restrictions related to Israeli communities in the West Bank.
The announcement was made on September 8, 2026, just days before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The group of countries includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Eight of them are members of the European Union.
According to the organization, the plan includes measures such as banning the entry of certain products originating from settlements and imposing sanctions on individuals and companies. The British announcement was also accompanied by particularly strong rhetoric regarding Israeli policy in the West Bank.
B’nai B’rith maintains that violence in the West Bank is condemnable and that those responsible for acts of violence should be held accountable. The organization, however, questions the effectiveness of broad economic measures as a means of achieving peace.
“B’nai B’rith International is deeply disappointed by the decision of 12 countries to restrict trade with Israeli communities. Regardless of the problematic actions in the West Bank, this one-sided measure singles out the Jewish state, will not produce peace and risks inflaming antisemitism when British Jews already face record hostility,” said B’nai B’rith International CEO Evan R. Bernstein.
According to the organization, broad economic restrictions are unlikely to significantly influence the decision-making of the Israeli government. B’nai B’rith also warns that such policies could set a precedent for increasingly expansive trade restrictions and boycotts.
Risk to Relations with Israel
B’nai B’rith also highlighted Israel’s longstanding ties with several of the countries involved in the initiative, particularly France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Together, these three countries are home to approximately 1.2 million Jews and have long-established Jewish communities.
