This month, France, Canada, Australia and possibly Britain will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. Also, some 1,800 actors and filmmakers, including Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon, have signed a public letter pledging “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions.” And the government of Spain imposed an arms embargo on Israel.

Will a single Gazan be helped in any meaningful way by any of this? No. Will Israel be hurt? Not particularly. Will it exacerbate Western antisemitism? More than likely.

After Madrid announced its embargo, I wondered what weapons, if any, did it sell to Israel. None, as far as I can discover. But, at least until this month’s declaration, Spain was an eager customer for Israeli military equipment, to the tune of over one billion euros between October 2023 and last April. Even after Spain decided to cancel a purchase of Israeli anti-tank missiles, it must still rely on Israeli cybersecurity and A.I. technology.

My advice to Israel, which last year surpassed Spain to become the world’s eighth-largest arms exporter: Reciprocate the embargo fully. Losing those service contracts would weaken Spain’s protection against terrorism. Let Madrid hope that its anti-Israel posturing will keep the threat at bay.

Now take the rest of the list.

France’s announcement in July that it would recognize a Palestinian state will do nothing to bring one into being. Its main effect so far was to provide a diplomatic victory for Hamas, which allegedly responded by hardening its negotiating stance with Israel over releasing its hostages, while prompting right-wing Israeli lawmakers to push harder for territorial annexation in the West Bank.

As for the wished-for boycott of the Israeli film industry, it would only harm the side of Israel least in sympathy with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also smacks of an ugly double standard: Do Ruffalo and friends also call for boycotts of, say, Iranian or Chinese arts institutions in protest of the policies of their governments?