LONDON (AP) 鈥 The British government on Tuesday suspended free trade talks with Israel and hit West Bank settlers with sanctions, hours after vowing 鈥渃oncrete actions鈥 if Israel didn’t stop its new military offensive in Gaza.
Pressure from close allies is mounting on Israel following a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza that led to . Even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government couldn’t continue discussions on an existing trade agreement with an Israeli government pursuing what he called egregious policies in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
鈥淗istory will judge them,” Lammy said. “Blocking aid. Expanding the war. Dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible. And it must stop.鈥
Lammy said the U.K. was imposing sanctions on a further 鈥渢hree individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organizations supporting violence against the Palestinian community.鈥
He said the illegal Israeli settlements were spreading across the West Bank 鈥渨ith the explicit support of this Israeli government.鈥
Israel鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein called the sanctions against West Bank settlers 鈥渦njustified and regrettable鈥 and said the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced by the U.K. anyway.
The announcement followed comments by British Prime Minister , who called children’s suffering in Gaza 鈥渦tterly intolerable鈥 and repeated his call for a ceasefire.
鈥淚 want to put on record today that we鈥檙e horrified by the escalation from Israel,鈥 Starmer said.
Israeli’s ambassador to the U.K., Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Foreign Office, where Middle East minister Hamish Falconer planned to call the 11-week blockade of aid to Gaza 鈥渃ruel and indefensible.鈥
On Monday, Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in issuing one of the most significant criticisms by close allies of Israel鈥檚 handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank.
The three leaders threatened to take 鈥渃oncrete actions鈥 if the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not cease its renewed military offensive and significantly lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Netanyahu called the statement 鈥渁 huge prize鈥 for Hamas.
Starmer said a ceasefire was the only way to free the dozens of hostages Hamas still holds. He also called for increased shipments of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying the basic quantity allowed by Israel is 鈥渦tterly inadequate.鈥
鈥淭his war has gone on for far too long,鈥 Starmer said. 鈥淲e cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.鈥
While Israel allowed a first few trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to begin rolling into Gaza on Monday, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described it as a 鈥渄rop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.鈥 Israel said dozens more trucks entered Tuesday.
Israel initially received widespread international support to root out Hamas militants following the group’s surprise attack that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023, and took 251 captives.
But patience with Israel is wearing thin after more than 53,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry, which doesn鈥檛 differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel鈥檚 latest onslaught has killed more than 300 people in recent days, local health officials said.
In recent weeks, Macron intensified diplomatic efforts to put pressure on Israel, urging a ceasefire and calling for lifting the blockade of humanitarian aid.
Last month, Macron said France should move toward recognizing a Palestinian state, possibly in June when France and Saudi Arabia co-host an international conference about implementing a two-state solution.
Macron, who has said that is not a 鈥硉aboo鈥 for France, last week suggested that revisiting the EU鈥檚 cooperation agreements with Israel is on the table.
Tensions between France and Israel have escalated after Macron called for stopping arms deliveries for use in Gaza in an October radio interview, prompting Netanyahu鈥檚 criticism. France also sought to impose a ban on Israeli defense companies to prevent them from exhibiting weapons at the Euronaval trade exhibition.
The U.S., France, the EU, the U.K. and Canada previously for their involvement in violence against Palestinians and in illegal development in the West Bank.
The measures expose the sanctioned people and groups to asset freezes and travel and visa bans. The Associated Press previously reported that as a deterrent.
Settler attacks causing injury or death to Palestinians . Israel says it opposes settler violence and blames it on an extremist fringe.
Palestinians say the Israeli army does little to protect them and that the attacks are part of a systematic attempt to expel them from their land.
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Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer in Nahriya, Israel, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
