More than 800 lawyers, judges call for UK sanctions on Israel over Gaza war

Israel’s breaches of international law in Gaza risk setting ‘anarchy’ loose upon the world, a signatory says.

The United Kingdom must impose sanctions on the Israeli government and its ministers and take steps to “prevent and punish genocide” in Gaza, according to a letter signed by more than 800 lawyers, academics and former judges.

The open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday called on the British government to take concrete action to halt the “serious violations of international law” being committed by Israel.

“Genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza or, at a minimum, there is a serious risk of genocide occurring,” the letter stated, adding that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of international humanitarian law were also taking place.

It urged Starmer to respond swiftly as “urgent and decisive action is required to avert the destruction of the Palestinian people of Gaza.” The letter quoted recent comments by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who expressed Israel’s intention to “take control of all the territory of the [Gaza] Strip” and “conquer, cleanse and stay – until Hamas is destroyed”.

The letter, signed by senior legal figures including former supreme court and court of appeal judges, noted a recent statement by the leaders of the UK, France and Canada that the suffering in Gaza was “intolerable”, welcoming the indication that the governments were prepared to take action.

The letter called on the British government to adhere to its fundamental international legal obligations and “use all available means to secure an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure the urgent, unconditional and unimpeded resumption of aid” to Palestinians.

To achieve this, it called on the government to impose sanctions on Israeli government ministers and other civil and military figures “reasonably suspected of involvement in unlawful conduct”, and to review existing trade ties with Israel, impose trade sanctions, and suspend a roadmap for a closer UK-Israel partnership.

The UK suspended negotiations of a new trade deal with Israel last week.

Lawyers in the UK have written an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, calling on him to sanction Israel over Gaza [AFP]

‘Unrelenting breaches of international law’

The letter also called on the UK to confirm it would adhere to its obligation to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, while the country also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for war crimes against civilians.

“We, in the UK, cannot expect peace unless we fulfil our obligations under international law,” Sir Alan Moses, a former appeals court judge who signed the letter, said in a statement.

“It is an exercise in futility for a government to say it upholds the rule of law, if it then does nothing to demonstrate it.”

Another signatory said Israel’s “unrelenting breaches of international law” posed a threat to “the very future of international law itself”.

“Imagine a world without rules: anarchy loosed upon the world,” Conor Gearty, a professor of human rights law at the London School of Economics, said in a statement.

“These lawyers know what that would look like – and because they do, they are desperate to avoid it.”

A previous open letter from UK lawyers last year said the UK was breaking international law by arming Israel.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 54,056 Palestinians and wounded 123,129, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The Government Media Office has updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands missing beneath the rubble are presumed dead.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies