Over 800 lawyers call on UK to impose sanctions on Israel

Over 800 legal professionals in the UK, including former Supreme Court justices, academics, and senior judges, on Monday, May 26, 2025, signed a letter urging the government to impose sanctions on the Israel.

According to The Guardian, they urged the UK government to impose sanctions on Israeli government and its ministers.

They also call for the UK to consider suspending Israel from the United Nations, arguing that such measures are essential for the UK to fulfill its international legal obligations.

The signatories include high-profile figures such as Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson, Court of Appeal judges, and over 70 King’s Counsel (KCs).

The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, applauds his recent joint statement with the leaders of France and Canada.

In the statement, they expressed readiness to take “concrete actions” against Israel.

However, the signatories stress that immediate and decisive action is essential to prevent what they describe as the potential destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza.

They warn of ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The evidence, they argue, increasingly points to genocide, or at the very least, a significant risk of it occurring.

They cite recent remarks from Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who reportedly advocated for the army to “wipe out” what remains of Gaza.

The letter emphasizes that under international law, all states, including the UK, have a legal duty:

• to prevent and punish genocide,
• uphold humanitarian standards, and,
• safeguard the right to self-determination.

The authors argue that the UK has thus far failed to meet these obligations.

They warn that the broader failure of the international community to hold Israel accountable is contributing to a dangerous global climate of impunity.

They also warn that it threatens the integrity of the international legal order.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently announced the suspension of free trade negotiations with Israel, but the letter urges the government to go further.

The authors recommend reviewing current trade ties, suspending the UK-Israel 2030 partnership roadmap, and imposing full trade sanctions.

They also call for the UK to sanction Israeli ministers and senior officials in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who are accused of inciting or facilitating acts of genocide or illegal settlement activity.

Thus far, sanctions have been limited to individual settlers and settler organizations.

The letter points to what it describes as an “unparalleled assault on the United Nations” by Israel.

It noted the country’s decision to ban the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), a key provider of aid to Palestinians, from operating in Gaza.

Additionally, it cites attacks on UN premises, personnel, and infrastructure as evidence of a broader challenge to the UN charter itself.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK, they argue, must consider initiating proceedings for Israel’s suspension from the UN.

Former Appeal Court judges Sir Stephen Sedley, Sir Anthony Hooper, and Sir Alan Moses are among the co-signatories.

So also are former chairs of the Bar of England and Wales and the Bar of Northern Ireland.

Moses states that upholding the rule of law requires more than rhetoric; it demands tangible action.

Emeritus fellow Prof. Guy Goodwin-Gill of Oxford adds that the UK must support a future where Palestinians are free from:

• persecution, displacement, and violence, and are able to realize their right to self-determination.

Lammy’s most forceful criticism of Israel to date came in response to the continued blockage of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Despite the official lifting of an 11-week blockade, the letter highlights that the limited aid reaching Palestinians is still grossly inadequate to address the humanitarian crisis.

Since October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack killed 1,200 people in Israel, over 53,000 Palestinians have reportedly died in the Israeli offensive.

A recent airstrike on a school being used as a shelter killed 36 people while they slept, according to health officials.

The letter further increases pressure on the UK government in a week when Attorney General Lord Hermer KC is scheduled to speak on the state of the international rules-based order.

It calls for the UK to:

• push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire,
• restore full humanitarian access,
• lift Israel’s ban on Unrwa, and,
• confirm that it will carry out any International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

This appeal follows a previous letter from UK legal professionals claiming the UK was breaching international law by continuing to sell arms to Israel.

This is a matter currently pending in the High Court.

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