Israel Faces Unprecedented Isolation as Boycotts Widen and Sanctions Expand Across Europe

Israel is facing an “unprecedented wave of international isolation” as boycott movements widen and sanctions expand, with Yedioth Ahronoth describing a “tsunami” of punitive measures from European capitals and grassroots campaigns.

Yeni Şafak English says boycott activities intensified sharply since 7 October 2023, when Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, and it links the escalation to France barring far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from entering its territory.

Al Jazeera

The same report says a coordinated six-nation effort by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and other allies imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of inciting violence in the West Bank.

It also says the Dutch parliament passed a motion calling on the government to actively push for a ban on trade between the European Union and illegal Israeli settlements, citing record expansion that erodes the two-state perspective.

Yeni Şafak English concludes that Israel is “unable to mount an effective response” to the growing isolation, as Türkiye and other nations continue to call for accountability under international law.

Amnesty International says Hyundai-brand equipment has been used repeatedly in demolitions of structures owned by Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, and it cites new visual evidence and testimony gathered by Amnesty International Korea and local human rights groups.

Amnesty International reports that photos and videos verified by human rights organizations identified 59 homes, businesses and other structures owned by Palestinians that were demolished between September 2019 and February 2025 using equipment manufactured by the South Korean conglomerate HD Hyundai.

Al Jazeera

It says the demolitions forced the forcible displacement of about 250 Palestinians and harmed the livelihoods of hundreds of others, and it quotes Montse Ferrer calling for HD Hyundai to “suspend immediately the distribution of its products in Israel.”

Amnesty International also says it verified a total of 347 photos and videos of demolitions and collected testimonies in collaboration with B’Tselem from victims whose homes or businesses were destroyed by Hyundai-brand excavators or bulldozers in eight demolition operations in the West Bank.

In one account, plumber Yaaqoub Barqan said “The excavator destroyed the house in less than 20 minutes,” after “About thirty armed soldiers arrived in military jeeps” in July 2024.

Amnesty International France says online booking giants promote human rights violations against Palestinians by listing hundreds of accommodations and activities in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and it frames Israel’s settlement policy as violating international humanitarian law and constituting a war crime.

“Hyundai-brand equipment has been used repeatedly in demolitions of structures owned by Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), as shown by new visual evidence and new testimony gathered by Amnesty International Korea and local human rights groups”

Amnesty International

It reports that Airbnb offered more than 300 accommodation listings in Israeli settlements, TripAdvisor offered more than 70 activities, tours, restaurants, cafes, hotels and apartment rentals, Booking.com offered 45 hotels and accommodations, and Expedia offered nine accommodation providers including four major hotels.

Amnesty International France says Airbnb pledged in November 2018 to remove all listings located in the settlements in the West Bank, following investigations by Al Jazeera and Human Rights Watch, but it says the commitment did not extend to East Jerusalem where it offers more than 100 listings.

The same Amnesty International France account describes how about 180 residents of Khan al-Ahmar risk forcible expulsion by the Israeli army to make room for the illegal expansion of Kfar Adumim and other settlements, and it says such a forcible transfer constitutes a war crime.

It adds that desert camping offerings allow visitors to pay up to $235 per night, and it argues that Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor profit from the exploitation of Palestinian lands and natural resources in the settlements.