More than 130 legal experts, including 18 king’s counsel (KC), have written to Andy Burnham, the UK’s deputy prime minister and mayor of Greater Manchester, expressing concerns that recent UK sanctions on Israeli settlements do not fully meet the country’s obligations under international law. These experts argue that the sanctions, announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband last week, fall short of what is required by the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2024 advisory opinion, which declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful. The letter, signed by prominent lawyers such as Michael Mansfield KC and Imran Khan KC, as well as former judge Alan Moses, claims that while the sanctions are a necessary step, they are too limited in scope compared to those imposed on Russia in the context of its invasion of Ukraine. The ICJ, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, advised in 2024 that Israel must end its occupation of Palestinian territories as quickly as possible. It also stated that other countries must not recognize the occupation as lawful or provide any form of support to it. The legal experts argue that the UK’s current measures, which include an import ban on goods from Israeli settlements, have not significantly impacted Israel’s ongoing occupation. They suggest that the UK should expand its sanctions to ensure that no part of its economic relationship with Israel sustains the occupation or its associated violations of international law. The letter calls for more robust measures, including a full arms embargo on Israel and restrictions on services such as insurance, accountancy, and digital infrastructure. It also urges the UK government to confirm publicly that no UK public institutions, pension funds, or sovereign wealth funds hold investments in Israeli settlements. Ralph Wilde, a professor of international law at University College London and one of the letter’s drafters, emphasized that while the UK’s recent recognition of the occupation as unlawful is a positive development, it still focuses too narrowly on settlements and settlers rather than the broader issue of Israel’s presence in the West Bank. In response to the sanctions, the UK government stated that the measures represent a major shift in its approach to supporting the two-state solution and upholding international law. However, the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, criticized the sanctions as "outrageous lies" and accused the UK of working against Israel’s interests. The debate highlights the complex legal and political challenges surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the international community’s role in addressing it.