Eight-hundred legal experts demand UK impose sanctions on 'Israel'
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UK lawyers demand urgent sanctions on "Israel", citing war crimes and legal obligations under international law to prevent genocide.
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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at a military headquarters in north-west London, on May 22, 2025, following a deal on the Chagos Islands. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych, pool)
More than 800 British legal professionals, including former Supreme Court justices, senior judges, and over 70 King's Counsel, have signed a letter urging the UK government to impose sanctions on “Israel”, suspend diplomatic ties, and consider initiating its suspension from the United Nations, warning that failure to act threatens the foundation of the international legal system.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and endorsed by former Supreme Court justices Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson, emphasizes that the UK is legally obligated to prevent and punish genocide, uphold international humanitarian law, and protect the Palestinian right to self-determination.
The signatories warn that crimes against humanity and war crimes are being committed in Gaza, and that the UK’s current inaction may constitute a breach of its international legal duties.
Gaza crisis at the center of legal demands
The letter comes as Gaza endures one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in recent history. According to local health authorities, more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since “Israel’s” assault began on October 7.
The lawyers cited mounting evidence that a genocide is either ongoing or at serious risk of occurring, pointing to incendiary rhetoric by Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who recently declared that “Israel’s” army would "wipe out what remains of Palestinian Gaza."
The legal letter, backed by a 35-page memorandum, states that continued UK complicity risks undermining the rules-based international order. Former Court of Appeal judges Sir Stephen Sedley, Sir Anthony Hooper, and Sir Alan Moses signed the appeal, alongside former chairs of the bar of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
One signatory, Sir Alan Moses, stated, "We, in the UK, cannot expect peace unless we fulfil our obligations under international law. That is what upholding the rule of law means."
The authors call on the government to immediately review and suspend the UK-"Israel" 2030 roadmap, terminate trade ties, and expand sanctions to include Israeli ministers and senior IOF commanders involved in incitement or the illegal settlement enterprise. Until now, UK sanctions have targeted only settler outposts and organizations.
ICC warrants and UNRWA ban amplify pressure
The letter urges the UK to affirm that it will enforce any arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), including those targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
It also calls on the UK to confront “Israel’s” attack on the United Nations, citing the banning of UNRWA, the “backbone of aid” for Gaza, and repeated IOF strikes on UN facilities and staff. These actions, it says, are not isolated, but represent a "broader challenge to the UN charter system itself."
Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill of Oxford University, a signatory to the letter, said: "Now is the time for the UK to show its commitment to the rule of law and to a future in which Palestinians can freely fulfil their right to self-determination."
Growing political strain
The letter’s release coincides with a major security address by Attorney General Lord Hermer KC, who is set to speak at RUSI on the state of the international rules-based order. Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently suspended negotiations over a free trade agreement with “Israel” but has so far resisted broader sanctions.
Legal experts insist that the UK's response remains inadequate, especially given the ongoing blockade on aid, which the letter describes as "gravely insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe." Though "Israel" lifted its 11-week ban on aid trucks, thousands remain blocked from entering Gaza.
The letter concludes by calling for a permanent, unconditional ceasefire, full aid access, the reinstatement of UNRWA operations, and a clear UK commitment to uphold the ICC process.
