Stopping criminal profit from Israel's illegal settlements

Stopping criminal profit from Israel’s illegal settlements

Civil society demand a total ban on settlement linked imports

On 12th March, GLAN, Law for Palestine, and 19 other civil society partners wrote to the UK Government to demand a complete ban on imports of goods produced in Israel’s illegal settlements. The letter outlined why the UK must take concrete steps to halt imports as Israel escalates state violence in the West Bank and accelerates its unlawful plans for annexation, and more widespread violations of international law. Every day that the Secretary of State for Business and Trade fails to stop imports of goods from illegal settlements the UK is breaching its international law obligations and exposing the British public to potential involvement in money laundering. The production of goods for international export is crucial for the economic viability of the settlements, drives further settlement expansion, and normalises the illegal occupation.

GLAN lawyer, George Collecott said, “UK law is clear – knowingly selling a good produced on Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a criminal money laundering offence. The government’s failure to ban trade with the illegal settlements exposes the public to widespread criminality. The government has the power to remedy this situation immediately. It imposed a comprehensive ban on goods imports from Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. Why is Israel’s illegal occupation any different?”

Read the full letter here

Case Timeline

12 March 2026

Joint civil society letter from 21 organisations sent to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade demanding an immediate ban on imports from Israel's illegal settlements.

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Case Partner

Law for Palestine

Law for Palestine (L4P) is a civil society organisation registered in the UK and Sweden that works on the legal questions around Palestinian self-determination in domestic, regional, and international legal fora, through knowledge production, legal action, and capacity building.

partner quote

“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal under international law. They are also a key mechanism for the de facto annexation of Palestinian land and are therefore established in violation of peremptory norms of international law. This illegality has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and governments including the UK and those of the European Union.

The Court was clear that all states, including the UK, have an obligation not to recognise, aid, or assist in maintaining situations created by these violations. Continued trade with illegal Israeli settlements risks breaching these obligations. The United Kingdom must therefore take immediate steps to ensure that its policies and practices do not contribute to maintaining this unlawful situation of occupation and settlement enterprise.”