More Than a Third of Labour MPs Demand UK End Trade With Israeli Settlements

More than a third of lawmakers from Britain’s governing Labour Party have signed a letter urging the government to halt all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank a rare and forceful internal push on one of the most sensitive foreign‑policy issues facing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The letter, signed by 137 Labour MPs, warns that Israeli actions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are “spiralling by the day” and calls for “accountability and concrete consequences.” Ending trade with settlements, the MPs argue, is the “vital next step” in responding to what they describe as ongoing violations against Palestinians.

Starmer has been walking a tightrope: maintaining Britain’s historic alliance with Israel and the United States while facing mounting pressure from within his own centre‑left party to take a tougher stance on settlement expansion and settler violence. Israel’s governing coalition has accelerated settlement growth, with some ministers openly advocating annexation of the West Bank territory captured in 1967 and central to Palestinian statehood aspirations. Most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law.

Violence by settlers against Palestinians has surged since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, adding urgency to calls for stronger international action. Spain became the first EU country to ban imports from Israeli settlements last year, and Ireland and the Netherlands are considering similar measures.

Asked about the Labour MPs’ letter, the UK Foreign Office did not comment directly on a potential trade ban but reiterated that Britain has “strongly and repeatedly condemned settler violence and the expansion of illegal settlements,” urging Israeli authorities to act against those inflaming tensions.

Under Starmer, the UK has already paused free‑trade talks with Israel, suspended several arms export licences, and imposed sanctions on far‑right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben‑Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Britain also joined France, Canada and others last year in recognising a Palestinian state.

London continues to oppose the proposed E1 settlement, which would effectively split the West Bank in two, and has warned businesses not to participate in tenders linked to the project.

According to The Guardian, the UK is preparing new measures aimed at deterring companies from involvement in E1, though the government declined to comment on future sanctions.