Swords of Iron Day 1068: Pressure on Israel From Every Direction
All kinds of pressure are coming at Israel from every direction. On Swords of Iron Day 1068, that pressure hit on two fronts at once. At home, elections are approaching, and the deadline arrived for every party to submit its candidate list. Some parties chased last minute mergers right up to the end. Israelis head to the polls in late October, and the next government will face these questions from its very first day. For many voters, the future of Judea and Samaria sits near the top of the agenda.
However, the biggest issue right now is Judea and Samaria. This is the heartland of Israel, the place where so much of the Bible happened.
Twelve Countries Target Products From Judea and Samaria
The United Kingdom, France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden have backed restrictions or bans on products from Judea and Samaria. In other words, a dozen Western governments want to punish Israeli communities in the heart of our land.
Notice the double standard. These same governments rarely announce trade measures against regimes that jail dissidents, fund terror, or occupy territory in other parts of the world. Yet Jewish families who build homes and businesses in the land of the Bible become the target.
Israel did not stay silent. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced countermeasures, including closing the British consulate in Jerusalem. He also moved to expel British representatives from a coordination center in Kiryat Gat and to end British training of Palestinian Authority security forces. In addition, Israel barred entry to a group of British officials and lawmakers who campaign against Israel.
Swords of Iron Day 1068: Who Does a Boycott Really Hurt?
But have these countries stopped to think about who they are really hurting? Look at Barkan Industrial Park in Samaria. There, thousands of Palestinian and Israeli workers work side by side. Palestinian employees earn substantially higher wages than they could earn elsewhere.
Walk through a factory there and you see Arab and Jewish employees on the same production line, eating lunch in the same cafeteria, and working under the same Israeli labor laws. That is coexistence in practice, not in a conference room in Brussels.
These businesses provide jobs, stability, and real opportunity. As a result, restrictions on trade can hurt the very Palestinians these governments claim to help.
We have seen this before. When SodaStream moved its factory out of Mishor Adumim amid a boycott campaign, hundreds of Palestinian workers lost their jobs. The activists celebrated. Meanwhile, those families lost their income.
Since October 7, the number of Palestinian work permits has dropped dramatically because of security concerns. Yet instead of recognizing the economic benefits of cooperation, many groups keep campaigning against trade with Israeli communities.
The Campaign Behind the Settlement Product Bans
Organizations that lobby governments to ban “settlement products” fuel much of this pressure. They also promote wider campaigns against Israeli trade. Whatever slogans they use, the effect is the same. They hurt Israelis and Palestinians together.
Many of these campaigns grew out of the BDS movement, which openly seeks to isolate Israel economically. They start with products from Judea and Samaria, but the goal rarely stops there. Soon the target becomes Israeli academics, Israeli artists, and Israeli companies everywhere.
Swords of Iron Day 1068: Why Judea and Samaria Matter
Think about what Judea and Samaria represent. Abraham lived there. Isaac lived there. Jacob lived there. Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah rest beside them in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
Hebron, Shiloh, Bethel, and Jericho all appear throughout the biblical story. Joshua led the people into the land at Jericho. The Tabernacle stood at Shiloh for generations, and Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching heaven at Bethel. King David first reigned in Hebron before he made Jerusalem his capital. In short, so much of biblical history happened right there. This is the land of the Bible.
Even Bethlehem, the city of David, is part of this story. Imagine telling Jews they cannot enter the places where their own biblical history unfolded.
Psalm 20 and Psalm 29: No Fear in the Day of Trouble
I am not going to fear this pressure. Psalm 20:1 says, “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.”
Psalm 29:11 adds, “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”
That is the promise I hold onto on Swords of Iron Day 1068. Governments apply pressure, and headlines come and go. Still, God gives His people strength.
Stand Up for What Is Right
We have to stand up for what is right. And remember this: when you try to hurt Jewish communities economically, you also end up hurting the Arab workers and families who depend on those jobs.
So what can friends of Israel do? Buy products made in Judea and Samaria. Visit the land and see it for yourself. Speak up when your own government chooses boycotts over real partnership.
Boycotts will not erase thousands of years of Jewish history in these hills. Pressure will not move the families who live there. And no sanction can change what the Bible says about this land.
The heartland of Israel remains the heart of the story.
Watch the Full Swords of Iron Day 1068 Update
You can watch the complete Day 1068 briefing on Rumble. For the previous briefing in this series, see Swords of Iron Day 1067. In addition, you can learn more about the work of the Aliyah Return Center.
Israel is standing. Am Yisrael Chai.
About These Swords of Iron Updates
Swords of Iron Day 1068 is part of a daily series that the team at the Aliyah Return Center in the Galilee writes from Israel. Each update draws on Israeli and international reporting alongside firsthand perspective from the ground. Our work centers on welcoming and supporting new immigrants, training ambassadors for Israel, and helping friends of Israel around the world understand what is actually happening here. If you would like to visit, volunteer, or support this work, you can reach us through the Aliyah Return Center website.
