A prominent British law firm has formally petitioned the UK Foreign Secretary to implement financial and travel sanctions against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing extensive evidence of alleged international law violations against Palestinians. Deighton Pierce Glynn, representing the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK), submitted the comprehensive legal filing earlier this week to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The submission presents documented evidence from multiple international institutions including the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, and United Nations bodies, alleging Netanyahu’s direct involvement in violations across Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The filing contends there are reasonable grounds to suspect Netanyahu’s statements constitute incitement to commit prohibited acts with intent to destroy the Palestinian people in part or whole – potentially amounting to incitement to genocide.
Mohammed Jamil, chair of AOHR UK, emphasized that activating the Magnitsky sanctions regime against Netanyahu represents “a legal and moral necessity” rather than merely a political option. The sanctions framework, named after Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, targets individuals responsible for human rights violations or corruption by restricting their access to financial systems and international travel.
The legal submission argues that Israeli actions against Palestinians result from high-level political authorization rather than subordinate decisions, citing Netanyahu’s October 2023 invocation of the biblical enemy ‘Amalek’ as evidence of incendiary rhetoric. Additionally, the filing references the Prime Minister’s role in illegal settlement expansion, including the E1 project that effectively undermines Palestinian statehood prospects.
Jamil asserted that Britain’s international standing has been compromised by its “silence in the face of genocide” and continued military, security, political and economic support to Israel. The UK previously sanctioned Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir in June 2023 over settler violence incitement, marking this as the first attempt to target a sitting Israeli leader under the UK’s 2020 sanctions regime.
Notably, Netanyahu already faces travel restrictions to the UK under an existing arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Legal experts note the UK has previously imposed similar sanctions on sitting heads of state including Vladimir Putin, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Bashar al-Assad, establishing precedent for such actions.
The UK Foreign Office has not commented on the sanctions request. Deighton Pierce Glynn indicated that if the government fails to respond, they will “consider taking formal legal steps over the issue,” potentially escalating the matter through judicial channels.