UK Declares Israeli Occupation of West Bank 'Unlawful' in Major Shift Under Andy Burnham

The UK has formally declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory 'unlawful' for the first time, marking a major change in British policy under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Announced on Tuesday, the new position follows an independent UK legal assessment and aligns with the International Court of Justice's 2024 advisory opinion.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband outlined the shift in Parliament alongside measures targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on settlement goods and sanctions against individuals and companies supporting or profiting from settlement activity.

UK Changes Stance on Israeli Occupation

Successive British governments have maintained that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law while supporting a negotiated two-state solution.

Burnham's government has now gone further by formally concluding that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory itself is unlawful.

The Prime Minister said the finding was reached independently but was 'in line with' the ICJ's conclusion.

'We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognise that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action,' Burnham said.

He argued Britain had previously been 'hesitant to act' because of fears of being accused of taking an anti-Israel position.

Britain Bans Trade With Illegal West Bank Settlements

Alongside the legal shift, the government announced a ban on trade in goods originating from illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.

Individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from settlement activity will also face sanctions.

That includes businesses and investors participating in the planned E1 settlement project, which Britain says would cut through the West Bank and further undermine the possibility of establishing a contiguous Palestinian state.

Burnham said 104 new settlements had been approved since the current Israeli government took office in December 2022.

He also cited UN figures reporting more than 1,500 incidents of settler violence this year.

Burnham Says Measures Are Not Against Israeli People

Burnham stressed that the measures target settlement policies and the Israeli government rather than Israel as a country.

'Today we are announcing carefully judged, targeted steps that are not aimed at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government,' he said.

The Prime Minister also condemned Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, saying it did not justify subsequent Israeli government actions in Gaza or the West Bank.

He separately warned against blaming Britain's Jewish community for decisions made by Benjamin Netanyahu's government, describing such behaviour as antisemitic.

Gaza Crisis and E1 Settlement Drive UK Policy Shift

The government linked its decision to both accelerating West Bank settlement activity and the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Burnham said the planned E1 development represented a particular threat to the two-state solution, arguing it could 'cut a swathe through the heart of the West Bank.'

The government also announced additional humanitarian assistance for Gaza alongside its settlement measures.

Meanwhile, Israel has strongly criticised the UK's new position, while the announcement has also drawn opposition from some US voices.

Burnham nevertheless presented the shift as necessary to preserve the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians eventually living alongside each other in peace and security.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed that Britain is not imposing sanctions on Israel as a whole. Instead, the new policy combines its declaration that the occupation is unlawful with targeted trade restrictions and sanctions intended to increase pressure over settlement expansion.