British Legal Experts Push Labour Party for Harder Stance and Broader Sanctions on Israel

British lawyers and legal experts are calling on Labour to go further with its Palestine policy by increasing sanctions on Israel at the party's annual conference, which starts on Sunday. While new sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories have been welcomed by campaigners, legal experts argue that trade with Israel must also be banned or restricted to end the UK's alleged involvement in the occupation.

“It’s dealing with the symptoms not the cause. They need to be extended further,” said Tayab Ali, founder of the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians, speaking to The National.

The Labour party also faces mounting pressure to hold Israel accountable for the killing of three British ex-servicemen in an Israeli drone attack in Gaza in April 2024 while they delivered aid. Preparations are underway for an inquest into their deaths, with the coroner indicating the scope could be widened to include the Israeli military and the soldier who allegedly ordered the attack. Mr Ali, who represents the family of one of the victims, noted that requests have been made to the Ministry of Defence for footage of an RAF surveillance flight that operated over Gaza on that day.

Mr Ali is scheduled to speak about turning Labour's commitments on Palestine into action during an event organised by the Labour Muslim Network at the conference on Sunday. He is among 140 lawyers and legal experts who signed an open letter last week urging the government to strengthen its Palestinian policy and ensure the effective adoption of its sanctions regime. Signatories included former lord justice of appeal Alan Moses and law professor Ralph Wilde, who emphasized that sanctions on Israel are necessary to fully align with the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion.

The legal experts noted that sanctions on illegal settlements would need to be expanded to include insurance, reinsurance, logistics, and technical support sectors. Minister for the Middle East Stephen Doughty is set to answer questions regarding the Labour government’s regional policy alongside Emily Thornberry, chair of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and policy adviser Salman Shaikh at an event organised by the Council for Arab British Understanding and British charity Action for Humanity.

The UK recently led a 12-country ban on trade with illegal settlements, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband describing the actions of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as ethnic cleansing. This followed a previous decision by the government under former prime minister Keir Starmer to recognise the Palestinian state. During the UN General Assembly, Mr Miliband reiterated his commitment to pressuring Israel and supporting humanitarian relief in Gaza, stating that current measures are necessary but not sufficient to prevent worsening conditions on the ground.

However, Mr Miliband stressed that trade with Israel itself will continue to support a two-state solution, placing him at odds with grassroots campaigners like the Boycott, Sanctions and Desinvestment movement. Prime Minister Andy Burnham also faces pressure to overturn a ban on Palestine Action, a group designated as a terrorist organisation following protests targeting military sites and companies linked to Israeli arms manufacturers. Hundreds of people are expected to protest outside the conference in Liverpool, supported by video messages from human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC and Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori urging Mr Burnham to lift the ban.