A coalition of 102 former French and British diplomats is urging France and the United Kingdom to jointly sanction Israel, saying Israeli policy in occupied Palestinian territory threatens to permanently erase the possibility of a Palestinian state.
In an open letter published on Saturday, the signatories called on both governments to act together to uphold international law, pursue equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, and turn their recognition of a Palestinian state in 2025 into urgent action.
What the open letter demands
The signatories called for the suspension of EU-Israel and UK-Israel trade agreements, an end to arms transfers and military cooperation with Israel, and a ban on trade with Israeli settlements.
They also urged France and the UK to prohibit their citizens from purchasing property on occupied Palestinian land and to guarantee humanitarian access to Gaza through UNRWA and other United Nations agencies. The letter further sought protected access for journalists, diplomats and parliamentarians.
Related coverage: Tender advances Israel’s E1 settlement project in the West Bank.
Why the diplomats issued the appeal
The letter says Palestinian house demolitions and settler violence, which it alleges take place with the connivance of the Israeli army and police, amount to ethnic cleansing. It also says the world no longer sees Israel as a genuine democracy.
Nicholas Hopton, a former UK ambassador to Iran, Qatar and Yemen and one of the signatories, said the language reflected assessments by international legal bodies and the United Nations. He identified Israel’s renewed push to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank as the more immediate trigger for the appeal.
The Gaza and West Bank context
The appeal comes amid Israel’s war in Gaza, which the source material says has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Although a ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Israeli attacks have continued, killing at least 1,285 Palestinians since then, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
More context: Human Rights Watch says settler violence is forcing Palestinians from West Bank communities.
The diplomats argue that settlement expansion could make a future Palestinian state in the West Bank impossible. France and the UK recognised a Palestinian state in 2025, and the letter says that recognition must now be supported by action.
The letter also addresses Palestinian leadership
The appeal says Palestinian leadership is unrepresentative and dysfunctional, and calls on it to ensure that the internationally recognised state remains democratic and law-abiding. It identifies elections scheduled for November as an opportunity for renewal.
The signatories also link French and British responsibility to the mandates their countries held over Palestine, Syria and Lebanon after World War I. They say governments must hold those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity to account to rebut accusations of double standards.
Also read: Israeli minister urges killing 30 to 40 Palestinians nightly in Gaza.
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