Over 100 former UK and French diplomats demand sanctions against Israel
More than 100 former French and British diplomats have signed a letter urging urgent action, including trade and arms bans, to pressure Israel into accepting a Palestinian state. They warn that Palestine is being erased before the world's eyes.
More than 100 former French and British diplomats have signed an unprecedented joint letter accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and stating that the world no longer views Israel as a genuine democracy. The letter is addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The letter carries 52 signatures from former French diplomats and 50 from former British ambassadors, many of whom served in senior posts across the Middle East, including Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Signatories include former UN envoys Jeremy Greenstock and Emyr Jones Parry, along with other senior former officials from both countries.
The diplomats note that both Britain and France recognised Palestine as a state in 2025 and argue this gives them a responsibility to press for equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians. The letter was published two days after the UK, France and nine other countries condemned Israel's publication of construction tenders for the E1 settlement project.
Conditions in Gaza and the West Bank
The letter states that 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are confined to 30% of their devastated territory, facing hunger and lacking medicine. More than 1,200 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the so-called ceasefire. In East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, house demolitions and settler violence, allegedly with the complicity of Israeli army and police, are described as amounting to ethnic cleansing.
The diplomats call for seven policy steps, including suspending EU and UK trade agreements with Israel, halting arms transfers, banning trade with settlements, and ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. The letter also criticises Palestinian political leadership, calling for democratic renewal in November's elections.
Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, has previously said Israel would not remain passive in the face of criticism over settlement construction.
