A coalition of 52 French and 50 British former diplomats released an unprecedented joint letter addressing the leaders of both countries, expressing concerns about the situation in the Palestinian territories and calling for coordinated policy responses. The signatories, many of whom served in senior diplomatic posts across the Middle East, argued that Palestine faces systematic erasure and that both France and Britain bear responsibility to act given their historical role in shaping the modern Middle East and their recent recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The letter came in response to recent developments, including the Israeli government’s publication of construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the West Bank. The UK and France, along with nine other countries, had condemned these tenders days earlier, warning that the proposed housing would move Israel further from peace and damage its international standing. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband subsequently described the planned construction as a destructive threat to a two-state solution and summoned Israel’s senior diplomat in London.
The former diplomats outlined seven specific policy recommendations for their governments, including suspending the EU-Israel association agreement and the UK-Israel trade agreement, implementing arms transfer suspensions, banning trade with settlements, and making it illegal for citizens to purchase property on Palestinian land. The signatories contended that Israel’s actions, including military operations in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, constitute ethnic cleansing and amount to a stain on humanity’s conscience.
The letter addressed broader regional concerns, noting that Israel’s military actions have extended to Lebanon and Syria. The authors also criticized the Israeli government’s rejection of a recent 15-point US-led peace plan for Gaza, which drew criticism from eight Muslim-majority countries. The former diplomats balanced their critique by acknowledging that Palestinian leadership also bears responsibility for establishing representative governance and reuniting Gaza and the West Bank administratively and economically.
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