More than 800 lawyers say UK legally obliged to sanction Israel
An open letter detailing “concrete actions” the UK government should take over Israel’s war on Gaza has been signed by 823 legal professionals, including 11 former judges as well as dozens of lawyers and legal academics.
This includes imposing “financial and immigration sanctions” on “Israeli Ministers and other civil and military personnel reasonably suspected of involvement in unlawful conduct”, the document said.
The letter also urged the British government to “review existing trade ties with Israel” and confirm it will meet its obligations to execute International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, related to the occupied Palestinian territory.
A family waits next to the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school after it was destroyed in an Israeli attack on Monday
UK trade envoy visits Israel, despite suspended free trade talks
Ian Austin, the UK trade envoy to Israel, has said in a post on X that he is currently in Israel to “meet businesses and officials to promote trade with the UK”.
His visit to Israel comes a week after the British government said it was suspending free trade negotiations with Israel due to its military conduct in the war on Gaza. An earlier post from the UK embassy in Israel said Austin’s itinerary on Monday included visits to Israel’s Institute of Technology – Technion – and a “cutting-edge Customs Scanning Centre”.
Critics say Israel’s economy profits from selling surveillance technology and weapons it tests on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, to countries around the world.
Greetings from Israel!
I’m here to meet businesses & officials to promote trade with the UK.
Trade with Israel provides many thousands of good jobs in the UK and brings people together in the great multi-cultural democracy that is Israel.
Read this:https://t.co/adJDRtUFgb https://t.co/Rh7DMKFU1j
— Ian Austin (@LordIanAustin) May 27, 2025
