UK and French leaders urged to put business squeeze on Israel for Palestine

Former diplomats have called on the UK and France to take joint action against Israel's expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank. Signed by over 100 ex-diplomats from both nations, the joint letter addressed to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham urges the UK and France to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and Britain's trade agreement with Israel due to breaches of human rights provisions.

The letter also demands the banning of settlement trade and warning potential bidders for the E1 settlement that "their interests in and with our countries will suffer".

France and the UK recognized the State of Palestine, but the letter emphasizes the need to make this recognition tangible by taking urgent action to safeguard Palestinian self-determination rights. The Israeli government's actions to destroy any chance of an independent Palestinian state, disregarding international law, the International Court of Justice rulings, and numerous UN Security Council resolutions, are condemned.

The signatories call for the criminalization of purchasing homes in illegal Israeli settlements in France and the UK, as well as removing charitable status from organizations that fund settlements. They also urge France and the UK to impose penalties for lawbreaking, demonstrating that there is an alternative to violence through equal rights, justice, and international security guarantees.

Former diplomats such as Sir Vincent Fean, Sir William Patey, and Sir Jeremy Greenstock, among 52 British signatories, support these measures. The letter was also signed by French counterparts including Charles-Henri d Aragon, Bruno Aubert, and Marc Barety, among 49 French signatories.

Israel recently launched a tender for the E1 settlement project, which threatens to separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem. This escalation in settlement expansion has displaced thousands of Palestinians. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently joined leaders from 18 western countries and the European Commission in warning businesses considering bidding for construction tenders related to the E1 settlement project.

They emphasized that the Israeli government's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable, as it undermines the prospect of a two-state solution and harms the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories. International law clearly states that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.