One hundred and twenty seven British MPs have written to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary urging them to make clear publicly to Israel that any annexation of Occupied Palestinian territory “will have severe consequences including sanctions.”
The politicians, including former cabinet members, ministers and senior diplomats, demanded actions not words in opposing any Israeli annexation.
They said this would be “a mortal blow to chances of peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on any viable two-state solution.”
The letter came after the new Israeli coalition government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, pledged to annex around a third of the West Bank, starting in July.
The Council for Arab-British Understanding organised the letter and its director, Chris Doyle, said: “Annexation has the potential to be a watershed moment. On the ground Israel will gobble up ever more Palestinian territory and ride roughshod over international law. Internationally major European powers like Britain, who as these leading politicians show, will have to have the courage to go far further than anyone might have imagined to defend the international rules-based order.
“Sanctions should not be entered into lightly but such an action would more than warrant it, just as we did with Russia over Crimea. For too long we have stood and watched as Israel violated Palestinian human rights.”
The letter reads:
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We are writing to you to express our outrage at the new Israeli Government’s declared plan to annex areas of territories it occupied in June 1967. This action is the key plank of the agreed Israeli coalition platform. It states that the Government can advance legislation on annexation after 1 July. It is already clear that the Israeli Government will use the cover of the Covid-19 pandemic to seek to implement this egregious plan. It is vital that the UK does everything in its power to prevent this.
Annexation of occupied territory violates several UN Security Council Resolutions including UNSCR 242 and 2334. It is a mortal blow to chances of peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on any viable two-state solution. The joint statement by the UK Government, together with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, on 12 September last year could not have been clearer. Unilateral annexation of any part of the West Bank would be “a serious breach of international law.”
International law is crystal clear. The acquisition of territory through war is prohibited. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 is a recent example where Britain quite properly opposed such acts with appropriate measures, including robust sanctions.
Britain upholds the international rules-based system, as you as Prime Minister have affirmed repeatedly. If we are to prevent other states with territorial ambitions from copying Israeli illegal behaviour, the UK must take a lead in standing up to this aggression. The international community is duty-bound to protect Palestinians under occupation.
We ask you to take the lead in bringing our international partners together to prevent this illegal action. Our Government has stated that any annexation “cannot go unchallenged”. The Government must now make clear publicly to Israel that any annexation will have severe consequences including sanctions. Words are not enough: Prime Minister Netanyahu has ignored our words. We need to prevent his Government from setting this alarmingly dangerous precedent in international relations.
Full list of signatories:
Rt Hon Diane Abbott MP
Lord John Alderdice
Rushanara Ali MP
Tahir Ali MP
Lord David Anderson of Ipswich QC
Tonia Antoniazzi MP
Hannah Bardell MP
Paula Barker MP
Clive Betts MP
Mhairi Black MP
Rt Hon Baroness Tessa Blackstone
Paul Blomfield MP
Baroness Christine Blower
Crispin Blunt MP
Steven Bonnar MP
Tracy Brabin MP
Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP
Alan Brown MP
Ruth Cadbury MP
Rt Hon Lord Menzies Campbell of Pittenweem QC
Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP
Sarah Champion MP
Douglas Chapman MP
Joanna Cherry QC MP
Daisy Cooper MP
Rt Hon Lord John Cope of Berkeley
Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP
Martyn Day MP
Martin Docherty-Hughes MP
Dave Doogan MP
Allan Dorans MP
Lord Alf Dubs
Rt Hon Sir Alan Duncan
Julie Elliott MP
Stephen Farry MP
Marion Fellows MP
Margaret Ferrier MP
Stephen Flynn MP
Rt Hon Lord Edward Garnier QC
Richard Graham MP
Neil Gray MP
Lord Tony Greaves
Lord Andrew Green of Deddington
Lilian Greenwood MP
Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC
Rt Hon Lord Bruce Grocott
Rt Hon Lord Peter Hain
Lord David Hannay of Chiswick
Rt Hon Baroness Helene Hayman
Drew Hendry MP
Wera Hobhouse MP
Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
Kate Hollern MP
Lord Clive Hollick
Baroness Sheila Hollins
Stewart Hosie MP
Imran Hussain MP
Lord Qurban Hussain
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece
Lord Raymond Hylton
Baroness Barbara Janke
Christine Jardine MP
Lord Michael Jay of Ewelme
Kim Johnson MP
Baroness Judith Jolly
Rt Hon David Jones MP
Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb
Lord Frank Judd
Baroness Helena Kennedy of The Shaws QC
Afzal Khan MP
Stephen Kinnock MP
Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP
Clive Lewis MP
Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett
Tony Lloyd MP
Rt Hon the Marquess of Lothian QC
Caroline Lucas MP
Kenny MacAskill MP
Angus Brendan MacNeil MP
Stewart McDonald MP
Stuart McDonald MP
John McNally MP
Shabana Mahmood MP
Seema Malhotra MP
Baroness Molly Meacher
Mark Menzies MP
Baroness Sue Miller of Chilthorne Domer
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP
Carol Monaghan MP
Layla Moran MP
Grahame Morris MP
Gavin Newlands MP
John Nicolson MP
Rt Hon Baroness Lindsay Northover
Lord Jonny Oates
Brendan O’Hara MP
Kate Osamor MP
Kate Osborne MP
Rt Hon Lord Chris Patten of Barnes
Baroness Kath Pinnock
Lord Jeremy Purvis of Tweed
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Liz Saville-Roberts MP
Andrew Selous MP
Naz Shah MP
Baroness Shas Sheehan
Tommy Sheppard MP
Andy Slaughter MP
Alyn Smith MP
Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames
Chris Stephens MP
Lord Paul Strasburger
Zarah Sultana MP
Sam Tarry MP
Owen Thompson MP
Richard Thomson MP
Rt Hon Lord Paul Tyler
Rt Hon Lord Jim Wallace of Tankerness
Rt Hon Lord William Wallace of Saltaire
David Warburton MP
Rt Hon Lord Norman Warner
Rt Hon Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
Baroness Janet Whitaker
Dr Philippa Whitford MP
Munira Wilson MP
Beth Winter MP
Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield
Parliamentarians who have signed onto the letter after it was sent and published:
Rupa Huq MP
Neil Coyle MP
Debbie Abrahams MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Apsana Begum MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Dame Diana Johnson MP
Rachel Hopkins MP
Claudia Webbe MP
Tim Loughton MP
Feryal Clark MP
