Why Lawyers Say the UK Isn't Doing Enough on Israeli Settlements
More than 130 legal experts, including 18 king's counsel, have written to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to say Britain's new sanctions on Israeli settlements fall far short of what is required after the International Court of Justice found the occupation unlawful. The Guardian The letter was sent on Tuesday. It responds to steps announced in the week before 15 September 2026.
How the sanctions were announced
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced those steps on 8 September 2026 in an oral statement on Israel-Palestine. The main step is an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories. UK government transcript King's counsel means a very experienced lawyer. Sanctions are official punishments that block trade or support.
When he announced the sanctions, Miliband accused Israel of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Burnham defended the import block in parliament. He said Britain must "stand against injustice" over West Bank settlements. Reuters The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said Burnham's government is right to impose sanctions on Israel.
What the lawyers are asking for
In their letter, the lawyers say the sanctions were needed but are too narrow. Their comparison is Russia. Sanctions on Russia are not limited to business in occupied parts of Ukraine. The Israel steps focus only on settlement goods.
Think of it like refusing to buy apples from a garden but still lending tools to tend it. The letter asks for a full arms embargo on Israel, which means no weapons sales. It wants rules to also cover insurance, accountancy services and digital infrastructure. It also asks for public proof that no UK public body, pension scheme or sovereign fund holds settlement investments.
The signers include Michael Mansfield KC, Imran Khan KC, and former senior judge Alan Moses. Ralph Wilde, a law professor at UCL, helped write the letter and acted as senior lawyer and adviser to the League of Arab States in the case before the ICJ. The ICJ is the UN's top court. Its 2024 advisory opinion ordered Israel to end the occupation as rapidly as possible. It said other countries must not recognise the occupation as lawful nor aid or assist it. The letter points to an Israeli tender for 1,200 homes in the E1 settlement east of Jerusalem.
Earlier reporting had discussed a wider package. The Times reported that Burnham could enact sanctions against far-right ministers in the Israeli government and against individual settlers.
Why this matters next
The broader context here is what the lawyers think other countries must do. They say a ban on settlement goods is not enough. Countries must also control services that keep settlements running, check public money for links, and limit weapons sales. Trade rules cover goods from a place. Services rules cover help to run it. Money checks cover risk of support. A weapons ban covers a different chain.
Looking at what this means for the government, the test will be consistency and enforceability. Ministers call the import ban a stand against settlement growth. The signers ask if that rule stops at the Green Line for goods but not for services, finance or arms. Whitehall will have to decide if it accepts the Russia comparison, how it defines settlement-linked services, and what audit it will order of public bodies, pension schemes and sovereign funds.
