Nearly 140 British Labour MPs call for ban on trade with Israeli settlements

Almost 140 British Labour lawmakers have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government to prohibit trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the parliamentarians demanded "urgent and concrete measures to counter the escalating violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, particularly by ending trade with illegal Israeli settlements."

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urgent and concrete measures to counter the escalating violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, particularly by ending trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

The signatories represent a portion of the Labour parliamentary group in the House of Commons, which holds 402 out of 650 seats. This indicates the 'Palestinian question' has long been a divisive issue within the party. The MPs pointed to the International Court of Justice's guidance to third states not to engage in "commercial relations with Israel concerning the occupied Palestinian territories."

They also noted a precedent in British policy of not trading with illegally occupied territories, citing Crimea and other areas of occupied Ukraine, arguing this would simplify legislative procedures for the executive. The lawmakers mentioned that at least eleven EU countries have asked the European Commission to ban trade with settlements, while several states are acting unilaterally due to the absence of a common EU position.

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commercial relations with Israel concerning the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Spain is already applying a ban and Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium are processing legislation to establish theirs," the deputies stated, adding that "the United Kingdom does not have to wait for a common EU position." According to various sources, Israel approved 34 new settlements in April 2026 alone, half the number authorized during the record year of 2025. The politicians wrote in the letter that the United Nations reported in March that settlement expansion and the annexation of the West Bank are driving massive forced displacements, "compounded by settler violence that is also out of control."

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Spain is already applying a ban and Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium are processing legislation to establish theirs.

"There is an urgent need to demand accountability and impose concrete consequences in response to the violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the gravity of which increases day by day," they affirmed. "We believe that ending trade with the settlements constitutes a fundamental step and we urge you to initiate the necessary procedures to establish such a ban as soon as possible," they added.

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There is an urgent need to demand accountability and impose concrete consequences in response to the violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the gravity of which increases day by day.