Europe expelled its Jews - now, it wants to decide where Jews may live in Israel - opinion

In this opinion piece, Duvy Honig argues that recent trade restrictions by Britain, France, and Canada on goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are part of a historical pattern of European governments deciding where Jews may live. He cites the 1290 expulsion from England, the 1929 Hebron massacre, and the Holocaust as precedents, contending that these policies punish Jews for living in their ancestral homeland and send a dangerous message to terrorists that violence creates leverage against Israel.

In this opinion piece, Duvy Honig argues that recent trade restrictions imposed by Britain, France, and Canada on goods produced in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria represent a continuation of a centuries-old pattern of European governments deciding where Jews are permitted to live. He traces this history from the 1290 expulsion of Jews from England through repeated French expulsions, the 1929 Hebron massacre under British mandate, and the Holocaust, asserting that the Jewish people reestablished sovereignty precisely to end such external control. Honig contends that the current measures, though framed as policy regarding borders and settlements, effectively punish Jews for living in their ancestral homeland. He criticizes the hypocrisy of Western governments that impose sanctions without providing replacement jobs for Palestinian workers who lose their livelihoods, citing the SodaStream plant closure as an example. The author argues that the international response to the October 7 massacre—applying pressure on Israel rather than decisively defeating Hamas—teaches extremists that violence creates leverage. He calls for a historical examination of British responsibility for the 1929 Hebron massacre and concludes that Jewish legitimacy should not depend on the approval of those who move the goalposts.