End settlement trade

One of the greatest obstacles to building peace in the Holy Land is the ongoing expansion of illegal settlements which displace Palestinian families.

As Palestinians are forced from their home, settlers are using this land to grow and export produce – such as dates and wine - across the world.

We must stop the trading of all goods and services produced on land that has been illegally occupied.

Write to the trade secretary today demanding that the UK follows in the footsteps of countries such as Spain and Ireland and bans trade with illegally occupied Palestinian land.

Email the new trade secretary today

The Rt Hon

Jonathan

Reynolds MP

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Dear Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds,

I am writing as a supporter of CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, to ask you to introduce a ban on trade in goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. 

Successive British governments have recognised that these settlements are illegal under international law. Settlement expansion not only has profound human consequences, with thousands of Palestinians violently displaced from their homes every year, but it also undermines the prospects for achieving a just and lasting peace. 

As Bishop Jim Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land, recently said:
"Lasting peace can only be built on a foundation of equal human and civil rights; justice and mutual respect for all Israelis, Palestinians and people of every religious belief."

CAFOD works with several organisations in the region who tell us first-hand of the violence they routinely witness and which should be understood as part of a deliberate Israeli state strategy to expand settlements. 

The UK Government has consistently championed a rules-based international order and the protection of human rights. Allowing goods and services from illegal settlements to enter the UK market is difficult to reconcile with those commitments.

Many consumers are also unaware that settlement products are likely being sold in British shops because they are often not labelled as such. Some of these products may even have improperly benefitted from preferential tariff treatment under the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement.

Banning trade with illegal settlements would demonstrate that the government is willing to align its trade policy with its values. The UK has established a clear precedent by refusing to recognise or support trade connected with territories illegally occupied elsewhere, including Crimea and other occupied parts of Ukraine. A ban on settlement trade would not, therefore, require any new primary legislation. It could instead be implemented under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.  

Other countries are already taking steps in this direction, with Spain implementing a ban while Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium are all committed to do the same. 

Building a lasting peace in the region has never been more urgent; but this cannot be achieved while illegal settlements exist. 

Ending trade with illegal settlements would send a clear message that Britain will not provide economic support for activities that undermine prospects for peace, violate international law, and contribute to the displacement of Palestinian communities.

Yours sincerely,

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