Pro-Palestinian activists hold ‘Lammy stop arming Israel’ banner as they blockade government departments in London [GETTY]
In a letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, over 60 MPs are calling on the government to impose sanctions on Israel to force it to stop violating international law.
The letter, spearheaded by MPs Richard Burgon and Imran Hussain, calls for sanctions following the International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion.
The court labelled Israel’s occupation as unlawful and demanded an end to it.
“The UK Government has repeatedly stated that it is committed to international law. Acting in support of the ICJ Advisory Opinion would be a critical step in demonstrating that commitment,” the letter reads.
“It would also show that the UK Government is striving to do all it can to support the victims of Israel’s repeated violations of international law and that it is not only speaking about a peaceful and negotiated two-state solution but taking concrete steps to promote this.”
Writing on X, Hussain and Burgon said: “Words alone are not enough. Our Government has a legal and moral duty to act.”
Signatories include former shadow home secretary Dianne Abbot, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, and members of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, and the Scottish National Party.
The letter was also signed by all five MPs in the pro-Gaza Independent Alliance, which includes former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
“Palestinians are being erased off the map through mass slaughter and starvation – and yet the UK government still denies there is a genocide in Gaza. Instead, it continues to export weapons to a nation whose leader is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity,” Corbyn tells The New Arab.
“At first, it was bomb after bomb. Then it was town after town. Now it is generation after generation.”
“We reiterate our demands on this government to enforce the ICC arrest warrants, impose sanctions, and end arms sales to Israel.”
The MPs are also calling for travel bans and asset freezes, a ban on trade with illegal settlements, an arms embargo on Israel and revoking the 2030 Roadmap, which is designed to deepen UK-Israeli economic trade and security ties.
“We cannot allow Israel to tear up the rule book of international law and simply go unpunished. Words alone from our Government are simply not enough. Our Government has a legal and moral obligation to act. It needs to impose widespread sanctions to get Israel to end its war crimes and stop violating international law,” Burgon said in a statement.
“By imposing widespread sanctions on Israel as the ICJ ruling demands, our Government would be taking a stance in defence of the international rules-based order and making clear that Israel will no longer get away with trampling all over international law,” Hussain also said in the statement.
Burgon also carried out another motion in October, where over 40 MPs called for the UK to sanction Israel.
Israel’s now 13th-month ongoing assault on Gaza has killed over 44,363 Palestinians.
