The British government today suspended free trade talks with Israel and imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank, hours after promising "concrete action" if Israel did not halt a new military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government in London could not continue talks on a current trade agreement with the Israeli government because of its policies in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"History will judge them. Blocking aid. Spreading war. Dismissing the concerns of friends and partners. It is indefensible. And it must stop," Lamy said.
Lamy said the UK was imposing sanctions on "three more individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organisations that support violence against the Palestinian community".
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said the sanctions on West Bank settlers were "unjustified and regrettable."
Previously, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the suffering of children in Gaza "completely unbearable" and again called for a ceasefire.
"I want to make it clear today that we are appalled by the escalation from Israel," Starmer said.
Pressure from close allies on Israel is mounting after a nearly three-month blockade of supplies to the Gaza Strip, which has led many to warn that the territory is facing famine. Even the United States, traditionally Israel's closest ally, has expressed concern about the famine in the Gaza Strip.
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Starmer yesterday joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in delivering one of the most pointed criticisms of Israel from close allies, over its handling of the war in Gaza and its moves in the West Bank.
The three leaders threatened to take "concrete action" if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government did not halt the renewed military offensive and largely lift restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Netanyahu called the criticism of Starmer, Macron and Carney a "big prize" for the Palestinian Hamas, against which Israel is at war in the Gaza Strip.
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