On October 7, Israel was attacked. Nearly three years later, Israel has become the accused.

The language has grown louder. Genocide. Apartheid. War crimes. Sanctions. Recognition of a Palestinian state. And now another expression has entered the vocabulary of the British government.

Standing in the House of Commons, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, announced sweeping measures against Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria. Goods produced in settlements will be banned from Britain, while sanctions will target specific companies and individuals providing services such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate for settlement expansion.

But it was not the sanctions that stopped me. It was the language.

Miliband told Parliament that the British government believes there is “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank – perpetrated by settler terrorists.”

Ethnic cleansing. Two words drawn from some of the darkest chapters of human history.

Miliband knows their meaning. He quoted the UN definition before making the accusation. There is settler violence, and where crimes are committed, those responsible should face justice. But an accusation as grave as ethnic cleansing carries the weight........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)