A leading Arab human rights NGO has filed a request for UK sanctions to be applied against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a move believed to be the first of its kind directed specifically at a sitting Israeli Prime Minister.
Deighton Pierce Glynn (DPG) lodged the request with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on behalf of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK (AOHR UK).
The legal document states that Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the possibility of a Palestinian state and insists all land west of the Jordan River must remain under Israeli control.
According to the submission, these positions are not rhetorical but have been translated into concrete government policy and administrative decisions.
Netanyahu is accused of signing and endorsing agreements that accelerated settlement expansion throughout the West Bank.
These include measures that legitimise Israeli sovereignty claims over occupied Palestinian land, despite clear prohibitions under international law.
In December 2025, the Israeli government approved 19 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The decision also included the retroactive legalisation of several previously unauthorised settlement outposts.
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The submission argues that retroactive approval rewards illegal land seizures and entrenches settler violence and displacement of Palestinian communities.
UK lawyers say these actions amount to a deliberate strategy to annex the West Bank in all but name.
They warn that continued settlement growth fragments Palestinian territory and makes a viable Palestinian state impossible.
The submission further accuses Israel of forcibly displacing Palestinians and maintaining a system of apartheid and persecution. It argues that these policies breach the Fourth Geneva Convention and violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
International bodies, including the United Nations and leading human rights organisations, have repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement activity.
The UK government has also publicly criticised settlement expansion as illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Parliamentary action
The submission has been supported by Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK, which is urging parliamentary intervention.
AOHR UK has called on Members of Parliament and Peers from all parties to publicly support the legal action.
The organisation wants parliamentarians to pressure the government to act in line with its commitments to international law.
It argues that failure to respond would undermine the UK’s credibility on human rights and the rule of law.
AOHR UK says the UK cannot condemn settlement expansion rhetorically while continuing business as usual with Israel.
The group is calling for meaningful diplomatic and legal consequences, rather than statements of concern.
They stress that the UK has legal obligations not to recognise or assist illegal annexation.
Campaigners believe parliamentary backing would send a strong signal to Israel and international partners.
UK government position and wider context
Senior figures in the UK government have previously acknowledged Israel’s legal obligations.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated that Israel must comply with international law in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Former Foreign Secretary David Lammy has described aspects of Israel’s conduct as intolerable and unacceptable.
Despite these statements, critics say UK policy has failed to prevent continued settlement expansion.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank have expanded rapidly over recent decades, housing more than 700,000 settlers.
Settlements are built on land seized from Palestinians and are connected by roads Palestinians are often barred from using.
Human rights groups say settlements are central to a system of segregation and domination over Palestinians.
The International Court of Justice has previously ruled that Israel’s occupation practices breach international law.
The current submission argues that Netanyahu’s recent actions mark an escalation towards formal annexation.
Lawyers warn that annexation would permanently entrench inequality and extinguish Palestinian self-determination.
They also caution that inaction by international actors encourages further violations.
The submission concludes that the UK must move from words to action if international law is to retain meaning.
