Some 140 UK Labour MPs have written to the Foreign Secretary to ban trade with “illegal Israeli settlements.”
The letter, sent on Sunday, asks Yvette Cooper to take urgent action to end trade with “settlements” in response to increasing “violations against Palestinians.”
The letter welcomed sanctions against specific individuals, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but said that “it is abundantly clear that those sanctions are not enough.”
It also said it is “unacceptable” that, since the UK Labour government promised in February to counter settlement expansion, “no further action” has been taken.
The letter noted that countries such as Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium have either already implemented bans or are in the process of doing so. It encouraged the UK to follow suit and not wait for a common EU position on the matter.
“There is an urgent need for accountability and concrete consequences in response to Israel’s violations […] which are spiralling by the day,” the letter read. “We believe ending trade with settlements is a vital next step.”
If the government chooses not to do so, the signatories demand to know why not. Among the signatories to the letter are Secretary of State for Health and Social Care MP Wes Streeting, former candidates for the 2020 Labour leadership election, Clive Lewis and Jess Philips, and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Emily Thornberry.
In fact, every Labour select committee chair is on the list.
“It’s time to be clear that settlements have no viable economic future,” MP Melanie Ward, former CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians, said.
