f{"id":49882,"date":"2026-08-24T12:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49882"},"modified":"2026-08-24T12:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:33:15","slug":"palestine-is-being-erased-before-our-eyes-100-former-french-british-diplomats-say-end-weapons-sales-trade-with-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/08\/24\/palestine-is-being-erased-before-our-eyes-100-former-french-british-diplomats-say-end-weapons-sales-trade-with-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Palestine Is Being Erased Before Our Eyes\u2019: 100 Former French, British Diplomats Say End Weapons Sales, Trade With Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/palestinian-baby-dies-of-cold-in-gaza.jpg?id=62346832&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=0%2C447%2C0%2C1220\" alt=\"Palestinian baby dies of cold in Gaza\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Palestinians mourn for a three-month-old baby named Tim El Khavaja, who lived in a tent in the Shati Camp lost his life due to cold weather conditions in northern Gaza Strip, Gaza on December 12, 2025. The body of the baby was brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for funeral arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0(Photo by Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The abuses by the Israeli government and military are \u201ca stain on the conscience of humanity, requiring the UK and France to act.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jon-queally\">Jon Queally<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug 23, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While critics of the French and British governments say they are doing too little to confront the crimes and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/human-rights\">human rights<\/a>&nbsp;violations of Israel against the Palestinian people, about 100 former diplomats of the two nations penned an open letter published over the weekend agreeing that much stronger actions must be taken to end the atrocities taking place in both the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gaza\">Gaza<\/a>&nbsp;Strip and the Occupied&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/west-bank\">West Bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Published in Le Monde on Saturday, the joint op-ed by the former UK and French ambassadors and foreign diplomats argues that because their two nations \u201cplayed a decisive role in the shaping of the Middle East,\u201d it is incumbent upon them to \u201cmake common cause over the region\u2019s fundamental faultline: equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians\u201d\u2014a dynamic grossly lacking as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/palestinians\">Palestinians<\/a>&nbsp;are starved and bombed in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gaza\">Gaza<\/a>, with their rights endlessly under assault in the West Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RECOMMENDED&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/board-of-peace-hamas-flip\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/signing-the-charter-of-board-of-peace-in-davos.jpg?id=67571762&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=899%2C0%2C899%2C0\" alt=\"Signing the charter of Board of Peace in Davos\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/board-of-peace-hamas-flip\">Board of Peace \u2018Betraying the Very Agreement They Just Made\u2019 by Accepting Israel\u2019s Refusal to Withdraw Troops in Gaza<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/us-airman-iran\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/maj-jason-watson.png?id=67638820&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=511%2C0%2C512%2C0\" alt=\"Maj. Jason Watson\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/us-airman-iran\">Trump \u2018Has Failed Us\u2019: US Airman Says He Accepts Cost of Speaking Out Against Iran War<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/5qXyz#selection-3663.286-3663.436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to<\/a>&nbsp;the letter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Gaza, two million Palestinians are kettled into 30% of their devastated land, hungry, lacking medicine and housing. Over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the so-called \u201cceasefire\u201d of October 2025. In East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, Palestinian house demolitions and rampant settler violence\u2014with the connivance of the Israeli army and police\u2014amount to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/ethnic-cleansing\">ethnic cleansing<\/a>.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/palestine\">Palestine<\/a>&nbsp;is being erased before our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This policy of occupation and destruction extends to Lebanon\u2014where many villages have been razed\u2014and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/syria\">Syria<\/a>. It is a stain on the conscience of humanity, requiring the UK and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/france\">France<\/a>&nbsp;to act.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While human rights groups have steadfastly demanded accountability for Israel\u2014including tougher&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/sanctions\">sanctions<\/a>, suspension of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/trade\">trade<\/a>&nbsp;agreements, a halt to weapons transfers, and enforcement of rulings by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/international-court-of-justice\">International Court of Justice<\/a>&nbsp;(ICJ) and proceedings at the International Criminal Court\u2014for its ongoing criminal behavior against the Palestinians, European governments, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/united-states\">United States<\/a>, and other Western allies have resisted such calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While noting that much can be done to help Palestine become \u201ca fully functioning democratic nation,\u201d the letter from the former diplomats makes a call for seven specific actions designed to end Israeli impunity and bring the government back into compliance with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/international-law\">international law<\/a>. The policy recommendations directed at the UK and French governments are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uphold the decisions of the International Court of Justice and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/international-criminal-court\">International Criminal Court<\/a>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement for breach of human rights provisions;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suspend arms transfers to and from Israel and all bilateral military cooperation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Insist on unrestricted aid access to Gaza, led by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/unrwa\">UNRWA<\/a>, other UN agencies and international NGOs, with consequences for non-compliance; access too for journalists, diplomats and parliamentarians;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ban all trade with settlements, including goods, investment, insurance and other financial services;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warn potential bidders for the red-line \u201cE1\u201d area [east of Jerusalem, in the occupied territories] or other settlement financing\/construction that their interests in and with our countries will suffer;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make it an offense for our citizens to buy property on stolen Palestinian land and remove charitable status from \u201ccharities\u201d funding settlements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicholas Hopton, a former UK ambassador to Iran,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/qatar\">Qatar<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/yemen\">Yemen<\/a>&nbsp;and one of the letter\u2019s signatories, said the language they used was not invented by the diplomats themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe words are not our own,\u201d Hopton&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/8\/22\/over-100-ex-diplomats-urge-france-uk-to-sanction-israel-over-palestine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a>&nbsp;to Al Jazeera. \u201cThey are taken from the international legal bodies, the UN, those who have been observing from a neutral position and with expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s key to understand, said Peter Millett, a former British ambassador to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/libya\">Libya<\/a>&nbsp;who also signed the letter, is that what the signatories are asking for \u201cis action, not words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Foreign ministers of the France and Britia \u201cover the last few months and years have issued statements of criticism, of condemnation and so forth,\u201d Millett told Al-Jazeera, \u201cbut as the letter makes clear, this is the time now where we need to see action on trade, action on settlements, more support for aid to go into Gaza, and the ending of the arms trade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the heart of the letter is the idea that world leaders, whether in Europe or elsewhere, must now act aggressively to bring the suffering of the Palestinians to an end and bring Israel\u2019s violations and abuses to a halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These proposals reflect our shared values\u2014international law and equal rights\u2014which are in our interest,&#8221; the letter concludes. &#8220;Where there is no law, none of us is safe.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jon-queally\">Jon Queally<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jon Queally is managing editor of Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jon-queally\">Full Bio &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Palestinians mourn for a three-month-old baby named Tim El Khavaja, who lived in a tent in the Shati Camp lost his life due to cold weather conditions in northern Gaza Strip, Gaza on December 12, 2025. The body of the baby was brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/08\/24\/palestine-is-being-erased-before-our-eyes-100-former-french-british-diplomats-say-end-weapons-sales-trade-with-israel\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2417],"tags":[828],"class_list":["post-49882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gaza","tag-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}