In Ireland, the opposition calls for the government to enact sanctions against Israel as it did against Russia, considering that both countries likely committed war crimes. Additionally Israel has been in breach of international law for a very long time. In general, "rogue countries" which persist in actions seen as illegal by the international community get slapped with international sanctions.
Are international sanctions of any kind ever considered against Israel? If not, why?
Yes, there are sanctions against Israel.
According to BDS Watch (2014),
More than 17 EU countries have issued guidance discouraging businesses from having economic ties with Israeli settlements. The German, Dutch and French governments have all intervened to prevent companies under their jurisdiction from engaging with Israeli projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
I would consider sanctions by the European Union to be "international sanctions".
Note that BDS Watch is not necessarily an up-to-date source, as it claims that international airlines flights between Israel and the UAE were prohibited, which wasn't true between January 2021 and 7 October 2023. So it might be the case that fewer or more EU members have sanctions on Israel as described above.
Question:
Are international sanctions of any kind ever considered against Israel? If not, why?
Answer
Israel has faced and continues to face many different types of international boycotts some have gone on since the day they were founded in 1949, others more recent. The Boycotts against Israel include Diplomatic, Economic, Sports, Arms Embargos, Academic and cultural boycotts.
Of all of these the effort which potentially could have the greatest sway and has evoked the strongest reaction from Israel is the BDS movement. This movement attempts to bring Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. It is an attempt to bring the same sort of decades long public activism used against the Apartheid policy in South Africa and use it against Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed this BDS movement was Israel's greatest existential threat.
Israel has struck back hard against this effort trying to deny it critical mass.
One aspect of Israel's opposition to the BDS campaign has taken the form of passing laws against it.
Anti-BDS tide hits Europe and North America
Economic Embargoes, Trade Sanctions, Prohibited Parties, and Anti-Boycotting Laws
U.S. anti-boycott laws prohibit individuals and entities from participating in a boycott that the U.S. government has not approved. The U.S. Department of Commerce publishes a list of recent examples of boycott requests.
As of 2023 in the United States nearly ever state has passed laws or used executive orders to discourage boycotts of Israel.
As of 2021, 35 states have passed bills and executive orders designed to discourage boycotts of Israel. Many of them have been passed with broad bipartisan support. Most anti-BDS laws have taken one of two forms: contract-focused laws requiring government contractors to promise that they are not boycotting Israel; and investment-focused laws, mandating public investment funds to avoid entities boycotting Israel. There has been debate over whether the laws violate the right to free speech and organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) have challenged many of them in court cases.
