British legal experts: Measures against Israel do not fulfill international law obligations

More than 130 legal experts in the United Kingdom, including 18 King’s Counsel, have called on the British government to toughen measures against Israel. According to them, the current sanctions are not sufficient for London to meet its international obligations.

The request was submitted in a letter to the prime minister, with signatories including barristers Michael Mansfield KC and Imran Khan KC, as well as former appeal judge Alan Moses. They consider the recent British measures a necessary step, but “far less” than what the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) requires regarding Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

In its 2024 advisory opinion, the ICJ found that Israel’s presence and policies in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal, demanding that the occupation end as soon as possible.

The court also determined that other states must not recognize the situation created by this presence as lawful, nor provide aid or support for its continuation.

According to the British experts, implementing these obligations requires far broader intervention than merely banning imports from Israeli settlements.

They demand that sanctions not be limited to goods produced in these settlements, but also include economic activities and institutions that, in their view, could help sustain the occupation.

The imposition of a complete arms embargo against Israel is one of the main demands presented in the letter.

To support this demand, the signatories cite Article 6(3) of the Arms Trade Treaty. This provision prohibits arms transfers when a state is aware they could be used to commit certain international crimes.

The jurists also propose extending British sanctions to other areas, including insurance, accounting services, and digital infrastructure.

Another demand is that the government publicly declare that UK public institutions, pension funds, and the country’s sovereign fund have no investments in Israeli settlements.

The letter stresses that current measures remain insufficient when compared to sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. The latter encompass a broader range of economic structures that support actions considered illegal.

Ralph Wilde, professor of international law at University College London and one of the drafters of the document, described the United Kingdom’s acceptance of the occupation’s illegality as a significant turning point in British policy.

However, Wilde assessed that the focus should not remain only on settlements and settlers.