Full story
Diplomats Demand Sanctions
A coalition of 102 former French and British diplomats called on France and Britain to impose joint sanctions on Israel and take joint action to uphold international law and protect Palestinian rights.
“A group of 102 former French and British diplomats has called on their governments to impose sanctions on Israel”
The letter, cited by French newspaper Le Monde, warned that Israeli policy in occupied Palestinian territory threatens to permanently erase the possibility of a Palestinian state and described Palestinian house demolitions and violence by Israeli settlers as “ethnic cleansing.”
The signatories urged France and Britain to halt arms transfers and military cooperation with Israel, suspend certain trade agreements, and restrict trade, investment, insurance and financial services linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
They also called for “full and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” with the signatories including former British ambassadors to the United Nations Jeremy Greenstock and Emyr Jones Parry.
Hamas hailed the coalition and said the signatories warned that “Palestine is being erased before our eyes.”
Voices, Wording, and Action
Nicholas Hopton, a former UK ambassador to Iran, Qatar and Yemen and one of the signatories, told Al Jazeera that the letter’s language was not invented by the diplomats themselves, saying, “The words are not our own.”
Hopton said the words were taken from international legal bodies, the UN, and “those who have been observing from a neutral position and with expertise.”
Peter Millett, a former British ambassador to Libya and another signatory, told Al Jazeera the letter marks a shift from words to demands, saying, “What we’re asking for is action, not words.”
Millett said the letter calls for action on trade, action on settlements, more support for aid to go into Gaza, and the ending of the arms trade.
The letter also argued that France and the UK recognized a Palestinian state in 2025 and that the step needs to be “made real by urgent action.”
Gaza, E1, and Escalating Pressure
The diplomats’ appeal arrived against the backdrop of Israel’s “genocidal war on Gaza,” which Al Jazeera said has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023, and it added that despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have continued, killing at least 1,285 Palestinians since, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
“Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza”
The letter urged France and the UK to push for “equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians,” and it called for guaranteed humanitarian access to Gaza through UNRWA and other UN agencies, with protected access for journalists, diplomats and parliamentarians.
Separately, Arab News reported that the EU is preparing sanctions against Israel spanning trade, academic, security and diplomatic ties if construction begins on the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
Arab News said Israel opened bidding for the construction of 1,234 homes in E1 and quoted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying the project would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
In response to the E1 tender, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on X that London would announce a broader package of measures in the coming weeks, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the criticism and accused London of damaging relations between the two countries.