As of Thursday morning, 762 people had signed a statement calling on the UK to cease all arms trade with Israel, sanction those accused of violating international law – ostensibly including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court, invest in screening to stop the UK financing “complicit” companies, and enforce the United Nations’s principles on business and human rights across the UK’s economic systems.
“We see this not only as a moral imperative, but as a matter of professional responsibility – consistent with our duty to act in the best interests of long-term societal and economic resilience,” the letter reads.
“The UK must ensure that no business – whether through products, services, or supply chains – is contributing to these atrocities, directly or indirectly,” it added.
They have pledged to support the UK government with an “ongoing process of reflection and action – reviewing our operations, supply chains, financial flows, and influence to help foster peace, uphold human rights, and strengthen respect for international law”.
The number of professionals signing the letter is growing as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face their darkest days. Israel is beginning a feared invasion into Gaza City while thousands endure hunger and famine due to the blockade of the enclave.
Israel’s latest war on Gaza, termed a genocide by leading rights groups, has killed more than 60,000 people in the 22 months since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked the occupied territories, during which about 1,200 were killed and 250 taken captive – “grave crimes under international law”, according to the letter.
“However, the Israeli government’s ongoing military campaign amounts to an unrelenting and indefensible assault on civilians, breaching both moral boundaries and the core principles of the Geneva Conventions,” it stressed.
