Citing a surge in settler violence and plans to demolish a Bedouin village, MPs urge the Foreign Office to align with international court rulings
By SCM Foreign Desk
LONDON — In a significant escalation of internal party tensions over Middle East policy, nearly 140 British Labour lawmakers have signed a letter demanding that the United Kingdom government ban all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The coordinated push, led by prominent members of the governing Labour Party, represents a direct challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cautious diplomatic approach. It underscores growing outrage within the United Kingdom over a spike in settler violence against Palestinians and expanding efforts to displace West Bank residents from their land.
The letter, sent to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, calls for “urgent, concrete action” to address escalating violations of international law in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Initiated by Melanie Ward, a newly elected Member of Parliament and former chief executive of the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, the missive was signed by 137 lawmakers.
Among the signatories is Wes Streeting, the former UK Health Secretary who resigned from the cabinet last month after citing a lack of confidence in Mr. Starmer’s leadership. Mr. Streeting, widely viewed as a potential future contender to lead the Labour Party, publicised the letter on social media, writing that “settlement expansion is illegal, it is an injustice inflicted on the Palestinians, it undermines two states and doesn’t make Israel any safer.”
The lawmakers argue that the British government has a legal obligation to stop importing goods produced in the West Bank. They pointed to a landmark advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which directed third-party states not to enter into trade or economic dealings with Israel that encompass the occupied Palestinian territories.
”The case for ending trade with settlements is clear,” the letter stated, adding that while the British government had previously promised to challenge threats of annexation and forcible displacement, the situation on the ground had “worsened considerably” with no further action taken by Downing Street. “This is unacceptable,” the lawmakers wrote.
The British push mirrors similar legislative debates across Europe, where several nations and individual trade bodies have sought to restrict commerce with entities operating past Israel’s pre-1967 borders. Under international law, all Israeli settlements built on land captured in the 1967 Middle East war are considered illegal—a position shared by the U.K. government, the European Union, and the United Nations, though contested by Israel.
Central to the lawmakers’ urgent appeal is the fate of Khan al-Ahmar, a strategic Palestinian Bedouin village in the West Bank. The letter makes specific mention of a recent announcement by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who stated he would sign an order to demolish the village.
Mr. Smotrich’s move was explicitly framed as retaliation against the International Criminal Court (ICC) following reports that the court’s prosecutor had requested an arrest warrant for him over allegations of incitement against Palestinians.
The British lawmakers warned that forcibly driving out the residents of Khan al-Ahmar would constitute a war crime. The village sits within the highly contested “E1” corridor, a sliver of land connecting northern and southern parts of the West Bank. Critics and international observers have long warned that developing or clearing this zone would effectively bisect the West Bank, making the realization of a contiguous, independent Palestinian state geographically impossible.
The rebellion highlights the delicate political tightrope being walked by Prime Minister Starmer. Since taking office, his administration has attempted to balance traditional alliances—including maintaining strong diplomatic and security ties with Israel—while responding to a restive left-wing base deeply critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and its policies in the West Bank.
While the British government has implemented targeted sanctions against extreme settler groups and radical figures—including Mr. Smotrich and fellow far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—the lawmakers declared that “it is abundantly clear that those sanctions are not enough.”
The domestic pressure on London comes at a time of heightened international focus on the West Bank. Recently, dozens of lawmakers in the United States pressured the Trump administration to intercept Israeli plans to build in the E1 area.
By demanding a total trade ban, British lawmakers are attempting to push the UK past symbolic diplomatic rebukes into the realm of economic penalties, ensuring that the conflict remains a volatile front in British domestic politics.