Two prominent advocacy organizations, the Labour Muslim Network (LMN) — an internal group affiliated with the UK’s Labour Party — and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), have released a formal legal briefing calling on Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new administration to move quickly with sweeping measures to address Israel’s controversial E1 settlement development initiative. The policy-focused briefing, titled “Priority Measures for UK Policy on Palestine”, arrives ahead of an expected announcement from the Downing Street government this month outlining a new package of policy responses to Israeli settlement activity, which has drawn widespread global condemnation for its violations of international law.
Last month, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed the government would roll out targeted measures against Israel over the E1 project, which is being developed east of Jerusalem. If completed, the development would physically bisect the occupied West Bank, eliminating any geographic continuity for a future contiguous Palestinian state. In comments shared with independent outlet Middle East Eye (MEE), LMN warned that the Israeli government’s E1 plan poses an existential threat to the possibility of a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.
The organization emphasized that illegal expansion of Israeli settlements, escalating violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities, and the forced displacement of Palestinian families from their land in the West Bank are accelerating at an unprecedented rate. “The UK government and the international community as a whole must act urgently and comprehensively in response to this destructive proposal before potentially irreversible damage is done,” the group added.
MEE’s prior reporting from last month revealed that Burnham’s administration is preparing to unveil a suite of new policies on Israel as early as September, with one of the most high-profile proposals being a full import ban on goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements. Multiple sources familiar with internal government discussions note that Miliband has been a leading advocate for stronger action, holding extensive consultations with civil society organizations to shape the upcoming policy package.
The push for tough measures has sparked pushback, however, from pro-Israel lobbying groups that are actively pressuring the government to water down its proposals and abandon plans for a full ban on settlement-produced food imports. In the new briefing, the two advocacy groups outline a clear legal foundation for their demands, noting that international humanitarian law — which binds the UK as a signatory to core international treaties — clearly establishes that settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal. Under Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions, the UK is obligated not only to uphold international humanitarian law itself, but to ensure other parties respect it in all circumstances, the briefing argues.
To meet this legal obligation, the briefing calls on the UK government to adopt a firm, actionable policy framework to address Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise. Key recommendations include a complete ban on economic and financial activity by British citizens and businesses in illegal settlements, as well as a prohibition on any activities that support the broader illegal settlement economy.
Internal divides within the Labour Party have come to the fore over the issue. Earlier this month, Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), a pro-Israel internal lobby group that counts more than 70 sitting Members of Parliament among its affiliates, published its own report that effectively justifies the presence of some illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land and urged the government to reject an import ban on settlement goods.
Despite LFI’s lobbying, Burnham faces substantial pressure from Labour backbenchers to implement a full trade ban with illegal settlements. Public opinion among Labour’s own membership is overwhelmingly in favor of action: polling conducted earlier this year found that 87% of registered Labour members support a trade ban on settlement goods, with just 6% opposing the measure.
Beyond the trade ban, the LMN-ICJP briefing puts forward additional policy recommendations. It calls on the UK Foreign Office to release regular public reports to Parliament on the status of religious sites across occupied Palestinian territories, documenting violations, access restrictions, and intimidation targeting worshippers and clergy of all faiths. The briefing argues that documenting the gradual erosion of the historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites and the targeting of Muslim and Christian Palestinian communities will help hold violators accountable and inform future policy and sanction decisions. It also urges the UK to push for a new United Nations Security Council resolution that would deploy international observers to monitor religious rights violations and protect the status quo at Jerusalem’s sacred sites.
Another critical policy area under review by the Burnham administration is UK arms sales to Israel. In September 2024, shortly after taking office, the previous Starmer government suspended roughly 30 arms export licenses for UK-produced military hardware, after an assessment found a clear risk that the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. At that time, licenses for direct exports of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel were suspended, but a key exemption was made for components sent to a global F-35 spare parts pool that can eventually end up in Israeli aircraft. UK-made components make up 15% of every F-35 jet, one of the world’s most advanced combat aircraft, which Israel relied on heavily for its military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
The new briefing argues that as a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty, the UK is legally required to close this loophole. It calls on the government to suspend all remaining arms export licenses to Israel, including licenses for F-35 components entering the global supply chain when those UK-origin parts could ultimately be used to support Israeli military operations.
UK urged to act ‘comprehensively’ against Israel’s settlement plans
