UK holds billions in contracts with firms tied to illegal Israeli settlements, Al Jazeera investigation finds
An Al Jazeera investigation has found that the UK public sector holds contracts worth billions of pounds with companies linked to Israeli settlements on occupied land. Such settlements are widely regarded internationally as illegal.
An investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed that UK public bodies hold contracts worth billions of pounds with companies connected to Israeli settlements built on occupied land. The findings indicate that British taxpayer money is indirectly flowing to entities operating in territories considered illegally settled under international law by much of the global community.
What the investigation found
The Al Jazeera probe examined links between UK public procurement and private firms whose operations or ownership are tied to Israeli settlements in occupied territory. The scale of the contracts identified — running into billions of pounds — suggests this is not an isolated occurrence but a broader pattern spanning multiple areas of government procurement.
Context
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have long been considered a violation of international law, and most countries, including the UK, do not officially recognise their legitimacy. Despite this stated foreign policy position, the investigation points to a gap between the government's declared stance and the reality of its public contracting practices.
The Al Jazeera findings raise questions about how closely UK government departments and agencies scrutinise contractors' ties to disputed territories, and about the need for greater transparency in public procurement decisions. No official UK government response to the investigation's findings has been reported so far.
