We note with deep concern the UK Government’s decision to pause trade talks with Israel on its updated free trade agreement. We are equally troubled by calls from the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP, to suspend or terminate the UK-Israel trade deal altogether.
This is a moment that demands principle, not posturing.
The United Kingdom is now signalling that it is willing to penalise its closest democratic ally in the Middle East—not for acts of aggression, but for exercising its legal and moral right to self-defence in the wake of the Hamas-led atrocities of 7 October. Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza, including in Rafah, are a direct response to those attacks and to the continued captivity of Israeli hostages, including women, children, and foreign nationals.
Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Israel is entitled to defend its citizens and territory from armed attacks. Its actions fall within the scope of international humanitarian law, which recognises the distinction between civilian and military targets—something Hamas continues to flagrantly violate by embedding its fighters and weaponry in civilian infrastructure.
To suggest that Israel should be economically isolated while it combats a proscribed terrorist organisation—one that remains committed to the annihilation of Jews and the destruction of the only Jewish state—is not diplomacy. It is appeasement.
Britain does not apply this standard elsewhere. It trades freely with authoritarian regimes and states engaged in far more egregious human rights abuses than Israel, including those with documented records of repression, occupation, and aggression. The current government continues to pursue trade with China, Saudi Arabia, and other states where the principles of democracy and accountability are not only absent, but actively suppressed.
Why then is Israel—a pluralistic, democratic nation defending itself against terrorism—singled out for economic censure?
This is not a principled stand. It is a politically convenient one, driven by external pressure and performative outrage, not legal reasoning or strategic coherence.
The UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement is not just a commercial instrument—it is a strategic declaration of shared values. Israel is a world leader in cybersecurity, biotechnology, clean energy, AI, and medical innovation. Bilateral trade exceeded £7 billion in 2022, supporting jobs, research, and technological advancement on both sides.
To suspend or terminate trade talks in response to Israel’s lawful military operations is to risk crippling a vital partnership, emboldening terrorist propaganda, and sending a message that the UK will not stand by its allies in times of crisis.
What’s Really at Stake
This is not about trade alone. This is about the future of the rules-based international order. If democratic states are penalised for defending themselves against terrorism—while non-state actors are shielded by ambiguity and moral relativism—we risk a world in which terror pays, and restraint is punished.
We urge both the UK Government and the Opposition to reconsider this course of action. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation under British law. Israel is a lawful democratic partner. This distinction matters.
