MORE than a dozen civil society organisations have written to the UK Government demanding it halts trade with occupied parts of Palestine and ends arms sales to Israel.
They have written to ministers to say that Britain’s failure to respond to a landmark international legal ruling on the occupied Palestinian territories serves to “entrench occupation and facilitate annexation” by Israel.
The UK Government was sent a letter by 15 civil society organisations and one trade union, the Public and Commercial Services union, demanding it respond to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The occupation of territory outwith the borders of Israel agreed in 1948 is illegal and widely recognised as such, including by the UK Government.
However, the ICJ ruling from July 19, 2024 demanded that governments take action against Israel in a bid to force an end to its annexation of Palestinian land.
The letter, which has been signed by groups such as Christian Aid, Islamic Aid and Quakers in Britain, demanded that the UK Government stops selling arms to Israel and ends trade with the occupied territories.
It said: “The UK Government has continued transferring arms to Israel, including F-35 parts which it admits are used in military activities in the [occupied Palestinian territories].
“The UK continues to allow the import of goods from the illegal settlements, and has taken no steps to prevent investment or involvement by UK companies in the illegal settlement project and occupation.
“The UK has failed to suspend its trade deal with Israel, or even announce a review of it, despite the text of that agreement requiring respect for human rights as an “essential element”.
“Our organisations demand that the UK Government acts with the utmost urgency to identify and prevent financial, commercial, trade, diplomatic, military, logistical or other support that aid or assist the maintaining of Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory, in violation of international law.”
It warned that Britain’s abstention on a UN motion endorsing the ICJ opinion had served to embolden Israel as it continued its genocide in Gaza and expanded its illegal settlements in [[Palestine]] – with accompanying violence.
The letter said: “The failure of the UK and other influential states to respond to the AO [advisory opinion] with the urgency it demands has encouraged Israel to defy the ruling.
“With impunity, Israel is in fact deepening its illegal occupation and accelerating the accompanying displacement of Palestinians. State and state-backed settler attacks on Palestinian West Bank communities continue to soar – with more than 1000 Palestinians including over 200 children so killed since October 2023 and 30 Palestinian West Bank communities forcibly transferred in the same period.”
A letter, signed by more than 100 MPs and peers has also been sent to the UK Government – with signatories crossing party boundaries – urging it to respond to the ICJ opinion.
It said: “The failure of the government to publish its response on the advisory opinion and address the unlawful situation occurring in the [occupied Palestinian territories], as well its own obligations under international law to avoid complicity, needs to be rectified.
“Over the last year, since the opinion was issued, Israel has accelerated its violations of international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention in the [occupied Palestinian territories].”
Signatories include mother of the House Diane Abbott, Scottish Labour’s Richard Baker, Patricia Ferguson and Brian Leishman (currently suspended), the entirety of the SNP group, former Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael and Tory former Cabinet minister Kit Malthouse.
And 80 MPs and peers on Thursday wrote to the Foreign Secretary with a list of specific sanctions including suspending the Israel-UK trade agreement, cutting trade with illegal settlements and imposing travel bans and asset freezes on people and companies "complicit" in the occupation.
The UK Government was approached for comment.
