LONDON: More than a third of lawmakers from Britain’s governing Labour Party signed a letter on Monday calling on the British government to end trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has had to balance Britain’s historic position as a close ally of Israel and the US with pressure from within his centre-left party to take a firmer line over Israeli actions towards Palestinians.

“There is an urgent need for accountability and concrete consequences in response to Israel’s violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are spiralling by the day,” said the letter. “We believe ending trade with settlements is a vital next step.” It was signed by 137 Labour lawmakers, more than a third of the party’s 402 members of the 650-seat House of Commons.

Israel’s government is rapidly expanding West Bank settlements, with some ministers pushing annexation. Settler violence against Palestinians has surged since October 2023, and countries like Spain now ban settlement goods, with others considering similar measures.

Asked about the letter and the call for a trade ban, a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Ministry did not comment directly but said Britain had “strongly and repeatedly condemned settler violence and the expansion of illegal settlements”.

“We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to clamp down on all those who are seeking to inflame tensions, and to tackle the unacceptable violence and destruction of property that is being committed by settler groups against Palestinian communities,” the spokesperson said.

Under Starmer, Britain has toughened its stance on Israel, pausing trade talks, suspending some arms licences, sanctioning Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, and joining allies in recognising a Palestinian state.

Britain has opposed a proposed new settlement known as E1, which would split the West Bank in two, and has joined allies in urging businesses not to bid for tenders to build it.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026