JJP follows up our letter to FCDO and Canadian and French Embassies
On 27 May, JJP follows up our previous letter and also writes to all the embassies we lobbied in our spring lobbying round. We pointed out that the minor sanctions the UK imposed on Israel when the joint letter was issued have proved ineffective, and therefore it is necessary to impose severe sanctions that will actually hurt Israel in order to persuade this Israeli government to desist.
Our letter to the FCDO and Canadian and French Embassies, and a sample letter to the other embassies, are below.
letter to the FCDO and Canadian and French Embassies
Stephen Hickey, Director, Middle East & North Africa, FCDO 27 May 2025
Jonathan Powell, National Security Adviser
Katrina Burgess, Political Counsellor, Canadian High Commission
Hugo Delcher, Political Counsellor, French Embassy
Dear Mr. Hickey, Mr. Powell, Ms. Burgess and Mr. Delcher,
We are writing further to our letter of 21 May.
Your joint statement was a necessary first step in compelling Israel to come into compliance with international law, but it was also more than that. It expressed a justified, righteous anger at Israeli policies, which the British Foreign Secretary’s statement in the House of Commons amply reinforced.
The joint statement rightly demanded that Israel cease its genocidal attack on Gaza, abandon its intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza, allow sufficient aid into Gaza, and curb the settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank. Those demands all require major climb-downs in Israeli policies, behind which are powerful motivations. Very strong sanctions will be necessary to compel Israel to change course.
It is clear that the British sanctions announced after the joint statement was made have been ineffective, and any similar sanctions announced by Canada and France would also be ineffective. In fact, since 19 May the Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued unabated, continuing to kill an average of more than 50 Palestinians every day. Aid has finally been allowed into Gaza, but at a completely inadequate level in both quantity and scope, and restricted to the south of the territory, according to the United Nations.
The sanctions have all been on named settlers or Israeli companies active in setting up settlement outposts. They comprise bans on entry into the UK, freezes of assets held in the UK (if any), and prohibition of any person or institution in the UK from funding the sanctioned person or company in any way. They leave the sanctioned settlers and companies free to continue all their activities in the West Bank unhindered. If any of them need finance, no doubt the Israeli Ministry of Finance will provide it.
It is now clearly necessary for your countries to follow them up with severe sanctions that will actually hurt Israel. These sanctions should include suspending tariff-free status of all Israeli exports to your country, suspending all arms exports to Israel (if your government hasn’t already suspended them, as the UK hasn’t), and refusing entry to your country to all Israeli government ministers and senior military officers. Weaker sanctions will not suffice.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Officer
sample letter to the other embassies
27 May 2025
Antonio Casado Rigalt
Political Counsellor
Embassy of Spain
Dear Mr. Casado Rigalt,
You have doubtless read the “Joint statement from the leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom and France on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.”1 We urge your government to endorse this statement, issue its own statement, or join with other governments in privately issuing a demarche to Israel in the strongest terms.
We recently met you to discuss the catastrophic moment the Palestinians are now in. Right-wing Israel finds a ready enabler in Donald Trump for its expansionism, its disregard for human rights and international law, and its willingness to apply unlimited lethal force to achieve its ends.
As we predicted, the Israeli government has now begun to intensify its war against the Palestinians of Gaza. Its motivation to ethnically cleanse Gaza is clear. The Israeli Minister of Finance, the self-described fascist2 Bezalel Smotrich, has said as much publicly.3 Other members of the government have echoed that.
While the joint statement did not refer to genocide, we are sure the Canadian, British and French governments – and your own government – understand that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, as all authoritative scholars of genocide and holocaust studies who have spoken out publicly have long since concluded.4
In our meeting, we argued that the only way to prevent these Israeli policies from taking their course is for the UK and other willing countries to issue a demarche on Israel that there will be severe diplomatic and economic consequences if it does not desist.
Action is urgently needed. This Israeli government must be prevented from continuing its attacks, which would kill hundreds if not thousands more people, and from ethnically cleansing Gaza and the refugee camps of the West Bank. The reputation of the countries which observe but do nothing effective will be indelibly stained.
Following the Canadian-UK- French joint statement, a number of sanctions on Israel were announced by the UK. However, they have all been on named settlers or Israeli companies active in setting up settlement outposts. They comprise bans on entry into the UK, freezes of assets held in the UK (if any), and prohibition of any person or institution in the UK from funding the sanctioned person or company in any way.
Not surprisingly, these sanctions have proved ineffective. They leave the sanctioned settlers and companies free to continue all their activities in the West Bank unhindered. If any of them need finance, no doubt the Israeli Ministry of Finance will provide it.
In fact, since 19 May the Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued unabated, continuing to kill an average of more than 50 Palestinians every day. Aid has finally been allowed into Gaza, but at a completely inadequate level in both quantity and scope, and restricted to the south of the territory, according to the United Nations.
We therefore urge your government to join Canada, the UK and France in telling Israel it must desist in its attacks or face the most severe consequences. Those consequences should now include suspending tariff-free status of all Israeli exports to your country, suspending all arms exports to Israel (if your government hasn’t already suspended them), and refusing entry to your country of all Israeli government ministers and military officers. Weaker sanctions will not suffice.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman,
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Liaison Officer
Notes
2. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-16/ty-article/.premium/israels-far-right-finance-minister-im-a-fascist-homophobe-but-i-wont-stone-gays/00000185-b921-de59-a98f-ff7f47c70000
4. https://jfjfp.com/voices/paper-on-legal-characterisation-of-israeli-assault-on-gaza/