Hi John,
More than 60 MPs and peers from all the major parties have written to the government demanding that the UK bans the import of all goods produced in Israeli settlements, and it's been reported in the Mirror.(1)
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law – and are at the root of its occupation of Palestinian land, encompassing home demolitions, theft of land and resources, and extreme violence against Palestinians.(2)
The UK’s legal obligation to act couldn’t be clearer: the International Court of Justice said last year that all states must ensure they are not supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, including through trade relations.(3)
But seven months later, the government still hasn’t taken any action and goods produced in illegal settlements are still allowed into the UK.
MPs are calling for a ban on illegal settlement imports – will you help us put pressure on the government to act by sharing their call?
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After decades of impunity, momentum is starting to build for trade measures to hold Israel accountable. Last week, Ireland announced that it would move forward with a new law that would make importing goods from Israel’s settlements a criminal offence.(4)
But as Israel accelerates its confiscation of Palestinian land and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu plots with President Trump to ethnically cleanse Gaza, other countries must act now, to show that Israel’s illegal actions will not pass without consequence.(5)
The UK government has previously issued statements criticising settler violence and expansion, but its words ring hollow when it is still willing to allow the import of illegal settlement goods.
Can you help expose the UK government’s failure by sharing the news about the MP letter now?
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Banning the import of settlement goods is the very minimum that the UK must do to stop assisting Israel’s occupation.
Thank you for all you’re doing,
Tim Bierley
Campaigner at Global Justice Now
Notes
1. More than 60 British MPs and Peers demand ban on imports from Israeli settlements, Daily Mirror, 17 February 2025
2. Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Occupied Syrian Golan – Report of the Secretary-General, United Nations, May 2024
3. Legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem(pdf), International Court of Justice, 19 July 2024
4. Ireland to ban goods but not services from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian lands, The Journal, 11 February 2025
5. Israel to confiscate a thousand hectares of Palestinian land in West Bank, Middle East Eye, 14 February 2025 and: Trump wants the ethnic cleansing of Gazans. Will it happen? Open Democracy, 17 February 2025
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