Letter to the Financial Times from Sir Vincent Fean and 60 other former British Ambassadors and former High Commissioners
24 April 2026
America is indeed falling out of love with Israel (Opinion, April 22). So is Europe. While the world watches Iran and Lebanon, Israel extends control over the West Bank and Gaza. Its accelerating annexation is unmistakable.
In a public letter on April 15, 390 European former ministers and officials wrote that Israel is breaking the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a key provision of which is “respect for human rights and democratic principles to guide their internal and international policy”. The same clause is in the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. Israel is in breach of both agreements.
Three examples. First, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, voted for the discriminatory death penalty bill, which applies to Palestinians only. Second, having asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to rescue hostages from Gaza, he refuses to grant ICRC access to Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Third, systematic state-supported settler violence and ethnic cleansing are rampant in the West Bank.
The letter asks the EU to suspend Israel’s Association Agreement; ban trade with Israeli settlements; suspend arms transfers and Israeli engagement in EU programmes; penalise those who violate international law; and set human rights benchmarks for Israel’s future conduct, with more sanctions if needed.
Sir Keir Starmer seeks to move our country closer to the EU, in trade and foreign policy. Upholding international law is a shared core principle. He has confirmed that the 1967 Israeli occupation is unlawful — as advised by the International Court of Justice in 2024. Yet the British government has still not published its assessment of that opinion, which states that UN members should do nothing to prolong the unlawful occupation. Trade with settlements — all of them illegal — does prolong it. Britain and its European partners should ban all settlement trade — goods and services, including investment and insurance — and review those agreements with Israel.
Israel’s settlements project aims to kill the viability of the Palestinian state — Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank — which Britain recognised recently. That aim needs to fail, for the sake of long-term stability and a just peace.
On June 1, Israel publishes tenders to build the E1 settlement, bisecting the West Bank. With partners, Britain should now warn potential bidders that they will endanger their business interests in and with the UK if they proceed.
Mere words of condemnation are ignored. While the world is distracted, grave contraventions of international law continue in occupied Palestine. We have drawn the EU letter to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper’s attention. Government action is now needed.
Sir Vincent Fean
Former Consul-General, Jerusalem
Lord Kerr of Kinlochard
Former Permanent Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Lord Hannay of Chiswick
Former Ambassador to the UN
Ann Grant
Former High Commissioner to South Africa
Sir Jeremy Greenstock
Former Ambassador to the UN
Sir David Manning
Former Ambassador to the United States
Sir Emyr Jones Parry
Former Ambassador to the UN
Frances Guy
Former Ambassador to Lebanon
Sir Tony Brenton
Former Ambassador to Russia
Anthony Cary
Former High Commissioner to Canada
Sir Roger Tomkys
Former High Commissioner to Kenya
Sir David Blatherwick
Former Ambassador to Egypt
Sir Colin Budd
Former Ambassador to the Netherlands
John Casson
Former Ambassador to Egypt
Edward Chaplin
Former Ambassador to Italy
Alan Charlton
Former Ambassador to Brazil
Sir Dominick Chilcott
Former Ambassador to Turkey
Sir Edward Clay
Former High Commissioner to Kenya
Peter Collecott
Former Ambassador to Brazil
Sir Richard Dalton
Former Ambassador to Iran
Sir John Goulden
Former Ambassador to Nato
Alan Goulty
Former Ambassador to Tunisia
Sir Richard Gozney
Former Ambassador to Indonesia
Sir James Hodge
Former Ambassador to Thailand
Henry Hogger
Former Ambassador to Syria
Michael Hone
Former Ambassador to Iceland
Nicholas Hopton
Former Ambassador to Iran
Alan Hunt
Former High Commissioner to Singapore
Peter Jenkins
Former Ambassador to the UN (Vienna)
Rupert Joy
Former EU Ambassador to Morocco
Robin Kealy
Former Ambassador to Tunisia
Robin Lamb
Former Ambassador to Bahrain
Richard Lavers
Former Ambassador to Guatemala
Anthony Layden
Former Ambassador to Libya
Norman Ling
Former Ambassador to Ethiopia
Richard Lyne
Former High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands
Sir David Madden
Former Ambassador to Greece
Richard Makepeace
Former Ambassador to the UAE
Mark Matthews
Former Ambassador to Chad
Boyd McCleary
Former High Commissioner to Malaysia
Peter Millett
Former Ambassador to Jordan
Colin Munro
Former Ambassador to Croatia
Patrick Nixon
Former Ambassador to the UAE
Richard Northern
Former Ambassador to Libya
Sir William Patey
Former Ambassador to Afghanistan
Sir Derek Plumbly
Former Ambassador to Egypt
Sir Kieran Prendergast
Former Ambassador to Turkey
Thom Reilly
Former Ambassador to Morocco
Sir David Richmond
Former Director General, FCO
Frank Savage
Former Governor, British Virgin Islands
Christopher Segar
Former Ambassador to Iraq
Sir John Shepherd
Former Ambassador to Italy
Adrian Sindall
Former Ambassador to Syria
Duncan Taylor
Former Ambassador to Mexico
Richard Thomas
Former High Commissioner, Eastern Caribbean
Sir Harold Walker
Former Ambassador to Iraq
Sir David Warren
Former Ambassador to Japan
James Watt
Former Ambassador to Egypt
Nick Westcott
Former High Commissioner to Ghana
Jon Wilks
Former Ambassador to Qatar
David Wright
Former Ambassador to Qatar