Israel's ties with Europe fray ahead of 27 October election

Al Jazeera reports that European criticism of Israel is hardening over Gaza and West Bank settler violence, with Britain banning settlement goods and settlers attacking European diplomats near Taybeh. Analysts say Israel's 27 October election is unlikely to restore the relationship, since even Netanyahu's main challenger opposes Palestinian statehood. The widening diplomatic isolation of Israel from Europe, once a close partner, shows the nation standing increasingly apart, a pattern Scripture describes of nations pressing against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3). This is a signpost of that trend, not a fulfilment.