UK pauses trade negotiations with Israel and summons Israeli ambassador

The United Kingdom has paused trade negotiations with Israel, sanctioned West Bank settlers and summoned the Israeli ambassador due to Israel’s military operation in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, the British foreign ministry announced Tuesday.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the UK and Israel are on “formal pause… effective immediately,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that it “it is not possible to advance discussions on a new, upgraded FTA with a Netanyahu government that is pursuing egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, Tzipura Hotovely has also been summoned to the British Foreign Office over the Israeli military’s offensive in Gaza, the statement added.

“Today I will set out to Ambassador Hotovely the government’s opposition to the wholly disproportionate escalation of military activity in Gaza and emphasize that the 11-week block on aid to Gaza has been cruel and indefensible. I will urge Israel to halt settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank,” British Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said.

“Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza. The limited amount of aid entering is simply not enough,” he continued.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy told lawmakers Tuesday the UK government would sanction seven entities in October. “Here, too, we must do more. Today, we are therefore imposing sanctions on a further three individuals and four entities involved in the settler movement.”

Lammy added: “We will continue to act against those who are carrying out heinous abuses of human rights.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.