75 UK MPs back motion demands sanctions on Israel over war crimes

LONDON: At least 75 British MPs have signed a parliamentary motion urging sanctions on Israel war crimes in Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon.

Labour member of parliament Richard Burgon has tabled the motion in the UK Parliament calling for broad sanctions against Israel over its actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

According to Burgon, the motion has already garnered 75 signatures from various members of the British Parliament.

Among those who have supported the motion are former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, SNP foreign affairs spokesman Brendan O’Hara, and the only Palestinian origin member of Parliament, Layla Moran.

The motion condemns the annexation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank and calls for concrete measures such as an arms embargo, a ban on trade with Israeli settlements, economic sanctions, and individual sanctions against Israeli officials. Burgon has called for the motion to gain even more support in the coming weeks.

This is not the first time Burgon has submitted a motion to sanction Israel for its genocidal actions in Gaza.

Since 2024, Burgon and several other MPs, including Corbyn and O’Hara, have put forward motions that called on the House of Commons to support the United Nations General Assembly’s resolutions demanding that the Israeli regime end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“Israel has carried out war crimes and flagrant violations of international law in Gaza … To get Israel to stop committing these crimes, we need real action from political leaders, not just words,” Burgon said, after initiating a motion in 2024 to sanction Israel.

Since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, it has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded at least 172,000 others, most of them children and women.

The Israeli regime has completely destroyed Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, sports facilities, power plants, water reservoirs, and residential areas.

The people of Gaza have become refugees in the besieged territory as a result, completely dependent on foreign aid, which rarely enters the territory due to Israeli blockades.