UK government sharpens its rhetoric on the war: words must turn into action!

A joint statement from the UK, French, and Canadian governments condemns Israel’s latest onslaught in Gaza.

Since the statement, the UK government has also suspended talks with Israel over a bilateral trade deal, and implemented some sanctions against individuals and organisations involved in West Bank settlement.

These better-late-than-never steps in the right direction are, in part, the result of pressure from campaigns against the war. We need to push our governments to go further.

UK Friends of Standing Together calls for:

•⁠ ⁠The full withdrawal of arms export licenses
•⁠ ⁠⁠Recognition of the State of Palestine
•⁠ ⁠⁠Stronger sanctions against individuals and organisations involved in West Bank settlement, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
•⁠ ⁠⁠A massive increase in aid provision, both directly and to UNRWA, and increased pressure on Israel to remove restrictions on UNRWA and allow the distribution of aid
•⁠ ⁠⁠Implementation of the recommendations of the House of Commons International Development Committee report on “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

We also want our government to use diplomatic pressure on Israel to drop charges against Standing Together’s co-director Alon-Lee Green and other peace activists currently under house arrest for participation in non-violent civil disobedience, as well as to release Palestinians held without charge in so-called “administrative detention”.

For more, see our template letter to MPs, which includes UK Friends of Standing Together’s domestic political platform.

Posted 20 May 2025