UK Sanctions Against Israeli Settlers Divide British Rabbis

Britain’s sanctions against Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank have sparked public division among British rabbis, with many framing their reaction in terms of their own fears about threats against Jews in Britain. Several rabbis expressed support for the sanctions and spoke about violence they had witnessed or personally experienced from extremist settlers in the West Bank. At the same time, the country’s chief rabbi, the spiritual leader of Britain’s Orthodox Jews, was among several prominent Jews who condemned the move. Such conflicting statements — coming days before the holiest period in the Jewish calendar — are among the most public signs of the deep divisions among British Jews, who have faced a series of violent attacks in recent months. “Nobody should ever suggest that they represent the single opinion of any group of Jews anywhere,” said Rabbi Jeremy Gordon, who published a letter on Wednesday supporting the sanctions and detailing his own experiences with settlers. But while British Jews have varied opinions on both Israeli and British politics, he said, almost none support or condone the violence. “There are very, very few people who would associate themselves with the extreme far right in Israel,” he said. The sanctions, jointly announced with Canada and France , ban trade in settlement goods, and a dozen countries in all supported them. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .