What can the UK actually do if Israel is sanctioned over Gaza bombardment?

The UK, France and Canada are warning Benjamin Netanyahu they will take “concrete action” unless Israel frees up humanitarian aid and stops its offensive in Gaza.

In a joint statement, Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney said: “we will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions.

“If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”

The statement came after Netanyahu said he would resume “minimal” aid to Gaza following an 11-week blockade, and after Israel expanded its offensive in the territory.

But none of the countries have detailed what those actions could be, leaving experts and advocates to call for restrictions on everything from fighter jet part sales to bans from international music events in response.

What sanctions has the UK already placed against Israel?

The UK government has not provided “lethal or military equipment” to Israel since the conflict began with Hamas’s attack on October 7 2023, which triggered the war.

Last September the UK suspended about 30 of the 350 arms licenses for exports to Israel which could be used in military operations in Gaza, including fighter aircraft, parts for unmanned aerial vehicles and targeting equipment.

Foreign secretary David Lammy said the decision was taken at the time because of a risk the weaponry could be used to commit a “serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

But fighter jet parts are not included in that suspension, and the government is now the subject of a high court challenge in which human rights groups are arguing the sale of those parts to Israel is unlawful.

Separately, the UK, France and Canada have targeted sanctions against Israeli settlers over violent attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and in the joint statement the three countries said they would “not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions."

What action could the countries take?

On Tuesday, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot pointed to existing sanctions on Israeli settlers, and mentioned the possibility of suspending an association agreement between Israel and the European Union, which was proposed by the Netherlands and supported by France.

"These agreements have a political dimension and a commercial dimension, so neither Israel nor the European Union have any interest in ending them, but the situation of civilians [in Gaza] forces us to move forward a step further,” he said in an interview on Radio France.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said it was up to the allied nations to decide what actions they needed to take against Israel, but in an interview on BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme he pointed to some potential actions.

“There's a big conference coming up at the end of June, of which several countries may recognise a Palestinian state. Several countries have trade deals. Some countries are still providing arms to this Israeli military offensive. So they do have a toolkit of measures that they could take,” he said.

The UK Greens urged the government to immediately cease selling F-35 jet parts to Israel, and said there were many other steps the UK government could take to increase pressure on Israel.

“The UK must also cease all military collaboration with Israel, including allowing Israeli use of British bases and RAF intelligence flights over Gaza,” Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said, adding the UK should also exclude Israel from any international sporting or music events.

Those comments came as Spain’s Prime Minister called for Israel to be banned from Eurovision, noting that Russia has been banned from the competition since 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.

"Nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision,” he said in a news conference, as reported by the BBC.

"Therefore Israel shouldn't either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture."

How has Israel reacted?

In response, Netanyahu said: “By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.”

He added: “This is a war of civilisation over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.”