80 UK MPs sign petition urging sanctions on Israel

LONDON — Eighty British lawmakers from nine parties have signed a petition calling for comprehensive sanctions on Israel, Labour MP Richard Burgon announced. The petition demands a ban on arms shipments to Israel, the imposition of economic sanctions and a halt to trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The initiative follows recent parliamentary debates on the Sanctions Bill for Peace tabled by the Labour Party, which seeks targeted measures against extremist settlers and a freeze on trade with Israeli settlements. Burgon said the cross-party backing reflects growing international pressure at a time of expanding settlement activity. Former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has previously stated that settlements are illegitimate under international law and undermine peace, warning that further settlement expansion could push the two-state solution toward collapse. The petition's backers are urging the UK government to adopt the requested measures, though no immediate response from ministers was reported.