Beyza Binnur Donmez
17 September 2026•Update: 17 September 2026
New UK measures targeting Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories could represent a "potentially seismic shift," UN experts said on Thursday.
They also urged additional action against economic and military links supporting the occupation.
The experts, in a statement, particularly welcomed what they described as the UK government's recognition that Palestinians in the West Bank are being subjected to "ethnic cleansing" and that Israeli settlers receive government support.
"This is a long overdue step in the right direction," they said, adding that restricting trade with settlements recognizes their role in Israel's "unlawful occupation, annexation and the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians."
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK announced measures earlier this month targeting goods from Israeli settlements.
The experts said the UK's measures go further by addressing settlement construction, financing, advertising and commerce, as well as arms export licenses.
They urged London to suspend military and security cooperation agreements with Israel and halt arms licenses that they said help sustain the occupation.
"To make good on its policy shift, the UK must immediately suspend its 2020 Military Cooperation Agreement with Israel and the defence, security and technological cooperation established through the 2021 Strategic Partnership, as well as all arms licences that help to sustain the unlawful occupation," said the experts.
"This must extend across the United Kingdom’s relations with Israel, including concrete measures to immediately ensure that neither public nor private economic activities contribute to the realisation of the illegal development of housing units in the ‘E1 belt’, which will only consolidate Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory."
They underscored that respect for international law is not optional and cannot remain "declaratory," urging other nations to take broader economic, financial and military measures.
