I commend to you the letter below to the Foreign Secretary about the incoming Israeli Government. It is signed by Julie Elliott MP, co chair of the Britain Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group at Westminster, and co signed by Parliamentarians from the four major UK political parties.
Our country has a duty to uphold international law without fear or favour. Our Government has a historic and continuing moral responsibility for events in what was British Mandate Palestine.
Sir Vincent Fean
Vice Chair, Balfour Project
Rt Hon James Cleverly MP
Secretary of State
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Sent by email only
21 December 2022
Dear Secretary of State.
Palestine/Israel: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s annexationist policies must have consequences
We are writing to you to express our grave concern about the annexationist policies of the incoming
Government of Israel, building on the policies of its predecessors which have produced a one state
reality: effectively, Israel controls the lives of Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian
territory.
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has given the post of National Security Minister to
Jewish supremacist Itamar Ben Gvir, and promised the Finance Ministry to Jewish supremacist
Bezalel Smotrich. The next Israeli Government has made it clear that it will not abide by the
Quartet Principles. It will pursue annexationist policies, de facto or de jure.
Already Netanyahu has promised to “legalise” outposts which are illegal under both Israeli and
international law. They will, of course, remain illegal under international law. He has transferred the
Border Police to Ben Gvir, thereby conferring on him a critical role in relation to the deteriorating
status quo on the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount. He is moving the Coordination of Israeli
Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and the Civil Administration to come under
Smotrich. He has created a Ministerial post in his office to promote illegal settlements.
These policy decisions are designed to advance the separate, discriminatory and unequal system
(designated by leading global and local human rights organisations, including Human Rights
Watch, Amnesty International, B’Tselem and Al-Haq, as meeting the legal definition of Apartheid)
in the occupied Palestinian territory and expel Palestinians from their land. Irish Foreign Minister
Simon Coveney rightly declared in May 2021 that settlements constitute annexation. These policy
announcements entrench and expand annexation. They must be challenged by all those in Europe
who uphold the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and strive for consistency in the
application of international law. In that context, please ensure that there is no repetition of the
statement in the Commons by FCDO Minister David Rutley: “Any judgment on serious crimes
under international law is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for Governments or non-judicial
bodies”. The Prime Minster and you have judged it right to accuse Russia, Syria and Iran of serious
crimes against international law. We really cannot have one rule for our foes and another for our
friends.
Netanyahu’s annexationist and discriminatory intent is already clear, and should be opposed by all
those concerned for Israel’s wellbeing and international standing. The impunity and lack of
accountability accorded to Israel have empowered extremism and led us down to this abysmal low
point. Insulating bilateral relations with Israel from Israel’s discriminatory and illegal policies
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against the Palestinians is not only a mistaken policy – worse, it undermines any claim by our
Government to uphold universal rights and values. This policy failure must be rectified.
We ask you specifically to
- warn that any Israeli action to (a) alter the status quo in Jerusalem, (b) build further illegal
settlements (eg on E1) or (c) evict Palestinians from their homes will have severe
consequences for our bilateral relations in deed, not just in word. In relation to Masafer
Yatta, we condemn the demolition by Israel on 23 November of the Italian-financed
primary school at Khirbet al-Safai al-Foqa. A shocking number of 44 more Palestinian
schools are listed for demolition. School demolition is a crime committed against children –
denying them an education and thus a better future. This crime must not be committed
with impunity; - end trade in goods and services with illegal settlements, and review all bilateral
cooperation programmes to ensure that they comply with UN Security Council Resolution
- It is vital to differentiate between the territory of the state of Israel and the
Palestinian territory which Israel occupied militarily in 1967. The occupied Palestinian
territory does not belong to Israel – that fact is beyond dispute;
- end the supply of offensive weapons or other assistance liable to be misused to support
Israeli Government-initiated violence in East Jerusalem, the rest of the West Bank and
Gaza.
If the Israeli Government persists in its discriminatory policies towards the Palestinians, more areas
of current bilateral cooperation with Israel should be re evaluated, leading to incremental and
proportionate reduction in cooperation programmes.
Returning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for bringing the Religious Zionism
Party into the Knesset and into his Government. Despite that fact, once he gains office he will argue
that he alone can exert a stabilising influence on Ben Gvir and Smotrich – and that any measures in
response to acts of discrimination against Palestinians will weaken his influence. At the same time,
on the evidence of his past record in office, he will threaten retaliation against any state taking such
measures.
Successive Israeli Governments have acted with impunity – violating international law at will,
building and expanding illegal settlements, and expelling occupied people from their land. The
incoming Israeli Government has already shown that it will intensify these breaches of law.
Consequences must follow. The response to protests from Netanyahu and his coalition should be
that we in the United Kingdom have not sought escalation: far from it. The responsibility for any
deterioration in bilateral relations with Israel will lie with those who break the law to increase
inequality and discrimination, thus destabilising the region, endangering security for us all, and
seeking to eliminate the possibility of a just peace.
Our Prime Minister recently told Conservative Friends of Israel that he “will oppose any actions
which stand to harm the peace process and the two-state solution”. Netanyahu was Prime Minister
in 2014, when the peace process was killed. His incoming Government is united in its intent to kill
the two-state solution, and says so. We ask Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to be true to his word and
oppose this intent, which is so harmful to all of us – Israelis, Palestinians and British alike – and to
uphold international law without fear or favour.
We look forward to reading your response.
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Yours sincerely,
Julie Elliott MP Rt Hon. the Marquess of Lothian KC (Michael
Ancram)
Rt Hon. Baroness Tessa Blackstone Andy McDonald MP
Baroness Christine Blower Rt Hon. John McDonnell MP
Crispin Blunt MP Lord Jonathan Oates
Alan Brown MP Kate Osamor MP
Rt Hon. Lord Menzies Campbell of
Pittenweem KC
Andrew Selous MP
Rt Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP Baroness Shaista Sheehan
Joanna Cherry KC MP Tommy Sheppard MP
Marsha De Cordova MP Alyn Smith MP
Lord Alf Dubs Baroness Pola Uddin
Rt Hon. Lord Peter Hain Dr. Philippa Whitford MP
Lord John Hendy KC Nadia Whittome MP
Baroness Barbara Janke Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield
Sir Tony Lloyd MP
cc Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations
Diane Corner, UK Consul General, Jerusalem
Neil Wigan, UK Ambassdor to Israel
