I was not surprised when I heard the speech by Ed Miliband, the British foreign secretary, in which he announced that Britain would impose sanctions against settlers involved in acts of terrorism in the West Bank.

The escalation of murderous acts of terrorism has become intolerable. There is no way to understand these crimes except as part of an organized effort by hundreds of Jewish settlers and many thousands of Jewish residents of the West Bank who support them to force the Palestinians to leave their places of residence in order to prepare the ground for the future annexation of all the territories into the State of Israel.

The extensive construction initiative in the E-1 area is part of the effort to block the possibility of a two-state solution. The E-1 area, if built, will divide the West Bank into two areas disconnected from one another, something that will thwart any attempt to establish the Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders.

The Jewish terrorists are not acting in a vacuum. Unfortunately, this is not an initiative of a small handful of “young criminals,” as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called them.

This is a broad and growing group. Many of them are equipped with weapons given to them at the initiative of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The leaders of the Jewish community in these areas know the terrorists and support them.

Government ministers, more than once, encourage them. The Israeli defense minister refuses to issue administrative detention orders against Jews, and uses the authority of such orders only against Palestinians, some suspected of terrorism and many who are in fact victims of acts of terrorism by Jews.

In the absence of any Israeli initiative to stop Jewish terrorism in the territories, the response of the international community, led by Britain, has become inevitable.

Netanyahu, who explains that he was surprised by Hamas’ terrible massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, because he was not awakened in time, could not claim that, on the issue of Jewish terrorism in the territories, he is also not being awakened.

With regard to Jewish terrorism in the territories, he sees, hears and knows everything that is happening, but gives full backing to the failures of the Israeli police and army, which refrain from taking measures to enforce law and order, and from arresting the terrorists and putting them in prison.

Under these circumstances, in the absence of any Israeli initiative to stop Jewish terrorism in the territories, the response of the international community, led by Britain, has become inevitable.

Britain is a traditional friend of the State of Israel. The Balfour Declaration, issued when Lord Balfour was British foreign secretary, was the moral and legal foundation accepted by the international community, and it contributed dramatically to the establishment of the State of Israel.

British Foreign Secretary Miliband is Jewish, the son of a family of Holocaust survivors. His decision — backed by the British prime minister, Andy Burnham — to declare sanctions against the settlers, against the illegal settlements whose establishment involves harm and violence against the Palestinians, was born as a result of the Israeli government’s failures and its refusal to fight Jewish terrorism.

Britain is not alone. Many other countries have joined it, foremost among them France and Canada, which are also traditional friends of Israel.

This is the first stage in the international struggle against Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. Additional measures may follow: boycotts, severing relations, expelling diplomats, closing embassies, attempts to identify Israeli figures among the settlers as well as among the politicians who support them, and taking direct punitive measures against them.

This process is leading to the isolation and weakening of the State of Israel, with an intensity unprecedented since its establishment.

I have been involved in Israel’s political and military affairs for more than 50 years. We have repeatedly found ourselves in crises, in struggles over our right to security and defense, and many countries have stood by our side.

This time, a central part of that bloc of countries is becoming the leading force in the struggle against us.

The great test for the State of Israel will be on Oct. 27 of this year. Netanyahu’s failure and the Likud party’s defeat in the elections could be the turning point.

Everything is ultimately focused on the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. Today, unfortunately, in the entire Western world there is no leader less accepted and less liked than Netanyahu.

His inflammatory rhetoric; his refusal to consider any possibility of a political compromise with the Palestinians who want to maintain peaceful relations with Israel — and there are many such people — alongside the murderous terrorist organizations; his support for the terrorist settlers and his backing of, and partnership with, fascists such as Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are contributing to Israel’s isolation and weakening, to the point of raising doubts about its ability to defend itself against its enemies, its economic resilience and its social stability.

The great test for the State of Israel will be on Oct. 27 of this year. Netanyahu’s failure and the Likud party’s defeat in the elections could be the turning point for building a new chance for dialogue within the divided Israeli society, and afterward also in the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians, and in the future also in the relationship with Saudi Arabia and additional Arab and Muslim countries.

I do not want to give advice to other countries on what to do in order to contribute to changing the situation within Israel.

I can assure you that a substantial part of the Israeli public is now mobilizing for a fateful campaign to stop Jewish terrorism in the territories, to cease the unrelenting attempts to continue the war in Gaza and Lebanon, and to implement President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. These steps will enable Israel to begin negotiations with a renewed, stable and dialogue-seeking Palestinian Authority.

No foreign country can bring about the change within Israeli society from the outside. The citizens of Israel will do that in October, and then I believe a new period will begin for Israel, the Palestinians and the entire region.

  • Ehud Olmert is a former prime minister of Israel