Politics
Pro-Palestine groups call for Israel arms ban on anniversary of UK recognition
UK pro-Palestine groups have called for a full ban on arms sales to Israel. The demand comes a year on from the UK’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian Forum in Britain, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al-Aqsa and Muslim Association of Britain all co-signed the call.
Their 19 August statement said:
Nearly three years into Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza, Palestinians still face killing, starvation and displacement, while British-funded humanitarian aid remains subject to Israeli restrictions.
The Government must secure an end to Israeli attacks and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
Across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settlement expansion, settler violence and restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque continue to intensify – restrictions the Government must act to end.
A year on from the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine, that decision has yet to be matched by action.
And:
Britain’s commitment to international law cannot be hostage to Israel’s election timetable. Real action means confronting Britain’s own complicity.
The groups also urged an end to UK arms sales to the settler colonial state:
That means ending the arms trade with Israel, suspending military and intelligence support that facilitate violations of international law, and stopping British businesses, banks, universities and charities from supporting occupation or settlement activity – starting with a ban on trade connected to Israel’s illegal occupation and comprehensive sanctions on Israel.
Their call comes ahead of a major national demonstration in solidarity with Palestine on Saturday 10 October:
Join us for the national march in central London to mark three years of the ongoing genocide. We call on people across the country to stand together in demanding justice and an end to British complicity.
Pro-Palestine groups on UK arms sales to Israel
In February 2026, Oxfam reported:
Since 2015, the UK has licensed at least £500 million worth of military exports to Israel.
However, given the opaque nature of the global arms trade, Oxfam warned this was likely to be a severe underestimate:
There are also a number of additional open licences in place that the government does not publicly report on, so the figure is likely to be much higher.
Stop the War Coalition vice-president Chris Nineham told New Arab that UK recognition:
was welcome, but, as we feared, it was symbolic.
He said the people of Palestine “need action”:
and we are calling on our government to end British support for Israel immediately.
We are working to organise another mass demonstration on 10 October to pressure it to take action.
It is essential that pressure is kept on the UK government. Whether through marches, protests, legal actions, investigative reporting and other routes, it all counts towards holding the UK establishment to account for its complicity in crimes against the Palestinian people.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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