'The UK Government continues to allow UK firms to trade with and invest in businesses based in illegal settlements on the West Bank,' says joint statement
More than 20 civil society organizations on Wednesday called on the British government to take action against companies they say are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government for failing to hold British companies accountable for their involvement with Israel’s actions in Gaza, the statement said this has "helped to normalize violations of international law."
"The UK government continues to allow UK firms to trade with and invest in businesses based in illegal settlements on the West Bank," the statement says, according to Scottish daily The National.
"These economic relations help to make such enterprises profitable, boost the settlement economy, maintain the system of apartheid, and sustain Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory," it adds.
The statement was signed by 22 organizations, including Amnesty International, the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians, and the environmental group Friends of the Earth.
Calling on the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel and ban trade and investment in illegal settlements, the joint statement also urged suspension of the current trade agreement with Israel.
The call comes after UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s report exploring corporate complicity with the war in Gaza.
The group called for action against firms listed on the London Stock Exchange, including Airbnb, which was found to have listings in illegal Israeli settlements, as well as Amazon and Palantir.
Weapons firm BAE Systems, Barclays bank, and the University of Edinburgh were also cited.
Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
