In a powerful and urgent appeal, more than 800 British legal professionals—including senior judges, academics, and over 70 King’s Counsels—have demanded that the UK government impose immediate sanctions on Israel and consider its suspension from the United Nations.

The call, detailed in a letter sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accuses the Israeli government of committing war crimes and potentially engaging in genocide in Gaza.

The signatories, who include former UK Supreme Court justices Lord Jonathan Sumption and Lord Nicholas Wilson, warn that the UK must act decisively to fulfill its international legal obligations and to prevent the destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

“There is mounting evidence of genocide, which is either being perpetrated or at a minimum at serious risk of occurring,” the letter states. The legal professionals cite recent statements by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who declared intentions to “wipe out what remains of Palestinian Gaza,” as clear evidence of genocidal incitement.

The legal experts back their letter with a 35-page legal memorandum that outlines how Israel's conduct in Gaza—including indiscriminate bombardment, starvation tactics, and systematic targeting of civilians and infrastructure—amounts to violations of international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention.

The jurists welcomed last week's statement by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which hinted at “concrete actions” against Israel, but they urged the UK government to go further and faster.

“All states, including the UK, are legally obliged to take all reasonable steps within their power to prevent and punish genocide,” the letter emphasizes. It also accuses the British government of failing to meet these standards thus far.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s recent move to suspend talks over a new free trade agreement with Israel is seen as insufficient by the letter's authors.

The demands directed at the United Kingdom include the immediate suspension of all existing trade ties with Israel, notably the 2030 roadmap for enhanced UK-Israel cooperation. The UK is also being called upon to impose sanctions on Israeli government ministers and senior military officials implicated in genocide or war crimes, and to extend financial and travel sanctions beyond illegal settlers to include the Israeli officials who actively support and enable them. Furthermore, Britain is urged to publicly affirm its readiness to enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant should they enter UK territory.

The letter also condemns Israel’s “unparalleled assault on the United Nations,” referencing its expulsion of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from Gaza and attacks on UN personnel, facilities, and property. These acts, the jurists argue, represent a systemic assault on the UN Charter and the international legal order.

It further warns that limited humanitarian aid reaching Gaza is grossly insufficient, as the territory teeters on the brink of complete collapse amid siege, famine, and bombardment.

To meet its legal responsibilities under international law, the United Kingdom is being urged to demand and facilitate an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Additionally, the UK must advocate for the full resumption of humanitarian aid and call for the lifting of Israel’s ban on the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is vital for the survival of millions of Palestinians. Crucially, Britain is also being called upon to take all necessary and available measures to prevent genocide and to restore respect for international humanitarian and human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory.

As Israel’s military campaign nears its 600th day, the unprecedented call from Britain’s legal establishment adds growing pressure on Western governments to end complicity in what international courts and rights groups increasingly describe as a campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people. (ILKHA)