British Palestine Project: Our Trustee and Patron call on the UK to uphold international law

Posted: 16th July 2026

Today, The Guardian published a letter calling on the UK Government to uphold international law in relation to Palestine.

We are proud that the letter is signed by Britain Palestine Project Trustee Sir Vincent Fean, established Patron Lord Peter Hain and our new Patron Dominic Grieve KC, alongside former ambassadors, senior lawyers and members of the House of Lords.

The letter argues that if the UK is serious about supporting a rules-based international order, then international law must be applied consistently.

Referring to the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is unlawful, the signatories argue that the Government should move beyond words and take practical action.

They call on the UK to:

Publish its long-awaited assessment of the ICJ’s advisory opinion.
Take steps to help end the occupation.
Ban trade in goods and services – including and financial services – with Israeli settlements.
Work with international partners to secure unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
Ensure there are consequences when international law is breached.

As the letter states:
“The UK government’s inconsistency undermines the laws on which we rely.”

At the Britain Palestine Project, we believe that international law must be applied consistently, regardless of who violates it. A rules-based international system only has meaning if its rules are upheld equally.

We are proud that Sir Vincent Fean, Lord Hain and Dominic Grieve KC have joined this distinguished group of former diplomats and legal experts in making this important public intervention.

Thank you, as always, for standing with us in support of justice, accountability and a future built on equal rights and international law.

With best wishes,

The Britain Palestine Project Team

Read letter on Guardian website

LETTER: The UK and international law – Palestine is the test

Peers, former ambassadors and senior lawyers say Israel must be held to account for its actions in the Gaza and the West Bank

Pippa Crerar’s focus on action is right (Burnham’s apology over Gaza marks ‘reset moment’ as Labour seeks to win back progressive voters, 9 July). May we add one element: the law. Two years ago, the international court of justice advised that the 1967 occupation of Palestine is unlawful. Keir Starmer worked to uphold international law on Ukraine. Rightly, he recognised the state of Palestine alongside Israel, and confirmed that the occupation is unlawful. Consequences should follow, but we still await the government’s assessment of the ICJ opinion. Steps to end the occupation are needed. No state that values the decisions of UN bodies should prolong it.

Our country needs a rules-based international order. The UK relies on due process for the conduct of international affairs. It is in the UK’s interest to challenge the “might is right” fallacy. The rule of law helps keep us safe, when made effective – domestically and internationally. Lord Denning observed that “the rules of international law … do form part of our English law”. The two are intertwined.

Trade in goods and services with illegal settlements prolongs the occupation. Israel derives economic benefit from stolen land. The government should ban settlement trade, including financial services. The measures taken against Russia should apply to Israel, which is breaking the same laws. Israel should be held to account for ethnic cleansing and worse in Gaza and the West Bank.

Diplomacy ignoring the law is ill-advised. The UN security council – including the UK – has outsourced Gaza to the Board of Peace, prolonging the suffering of 2 million Palestinians. There is a duty to protect civilians. Israel does the opposite. As the archbishop of Canterbury said, we must not look away. Nor do words suffice. The government should act with partners to secure unrestricted access for food, medicines and temporary accommodation – with consequences if access is denied. The October 2025 “ceasefire” has not ended the violence, with no access for MPs and international journalists.

Foes and friends are breaking laws which help keep us safe. The UK government’s inconsistency undermines the laws on which we rely.

Vincent Fean Former consul-general, Jerusalem
Helena Kennedy KC Labour, House of Lords
John Kerr Crossbencher, House of Lords and former permanent secretary, Foreign Office
Dominic Grieve KC
Peter Hain Labour, House of Lords
Jeremy Greenstock Former ambassador to the UN
Emyr Jones Parry Former ambassador to the UN
David Manning Former ambassador to the US
William Patey Former ambassador to Afghanistan