Caabu Press Release: 112 Parliamentarians demand UK Government publish response to International Court of Justice
18 July 2025
112 Parliamentarians have written to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer, demanding that the UK government immediately publishes its response to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) groundbreaking judgement on the legal consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The government has promised parliament to publish its formal response to the advisory opinion, which was issued on 19 July 2024.
They urge the UK government to rectify its lack of response, and “address the unlawful situation occurring in the OPT, as well its own obligations under international law”.
The only comment that the UK government has made on this is that is doesn’t disagree with its central findings. On 22 October 2024, it said: “The UK does not disagree with the central findings of the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on the 'Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”.
The government has not specified what it considers to be the central findings, or changed its language to describe the occupation as unlawful.
The Foreign Secretary, in his appearance in front of the International Development Select Committee on 16 July 2025, stated in answer to a question as to why it had taken so long to publish the government’s response that: “it's an 83 page opinion. So it's right that the lawyers that you would expect within government assist and do the work that you would expect them to do.”
Responding, Caabu’s Director Chris Doyle said:
“It is an utter nonsense that a year on from this historic advisory opinion that the government has not issued its formal response. Sources have told Caabu that the legal response was drafted months ago. It is also not that complex a legal document based on many previous legal opinions. What it highlights is the government’s continued aversion to hold Israel to account, its failure to uphold international law and respect these international judicial institutions as it claims it does.”
16 civil society organisations, including Caabu, have also written to the government calling for it to take action to end UK complicity in violations of Palestinian rights, and to help bring the occupation to a rapid end.
The letter in full:
Dear Prime Minister,
On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave a groundbreaking judgement on the legal consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
This advisory opinion made crystal clear determinations that:
- The Israeli presence in the OPT, including Gaza, is unlawful and its policies and practices are incompatible with international law.
- All Israeli settlements are illegal and must be withdrawn immediately
- Israel owes full reparation for all damage of its illegal acts since 1967,
- Other states are obliged to not provide any sort of aid or assistance that maintains Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT, referring to Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Following this advisory opinion, the Foreign Office response was that it would consider “carefully before responding. The UK respects the independence of the ICJ... the UK is strongly opposed to the expansion of illegal settlements and rising settler violence”.
The government promised to publish its formal response. One year on since the advisory opinion was issued, it has yet to do so. Given that the ICJ referred to the “unlawfulness” as an established fact, the UK has a legal duty to ensure that the government and British entities take all necessary steps to ensure that we are not complicit with this unlawful situation. This is particularly pertinent given the seriousness of the situation, the continued and increasing Israeli violations of international law, as well as the increase in illegal settlements. Between November 2023 – October 2024, Israel established 57 new settlements and outposts. However, the UK needs to not just denounce the rise in settlements but the mere existence of them, as regards the ICJ advisory opinion.
The failure of the government to publish its response on the advisory opinion and address the unlawful situation occurring in the OPT, as well its own obligations under international law to avoid complicity, needs to be rectified.
Over the last year, since the opinion was issued, Israel has accelerated its violations of international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention in the OPT.
We, the undersigned, urge the government immediately to publish its response to the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation and take all the necessary measures to adhere to the obligation of 3rd party states “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” as the Court stipulated.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon. Diane Abbott MP
Debbie Abrahams MP
Shockat Adam MP
Lord John Alderdice
Baroness Wendy Alexander of Cleveden
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP
Richard Baker MP
Alex Ballinger MP
Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Órfhlaith Begley MP
Apsana Begum MP
Siân Berry MP
Clive Betts MP
Baroness Natalie Bennett
Kirsty Blackman MP
Rt Hon. Baroness Tessa Blackstone
Olivia Blake MP
Baroness Christine Blower
Phil Brickell MP
Richard Burgon MP
Ian Byrne MP
Rt Hon. Liam Byrne MP
Rt Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP
Sarah Champion MP
Rt Rev. Guli Francis-Dehqani, Lord Bishop of Chelmsford
Ellie Chowns MP
Daisy Cooper MP
Rt Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP
Marsha de Cordova MP
Pat Cullen MP
Ann Davies MP
Carla Denyer MP
Dave Doogan MP
Lord Alf Dubs
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Baroness Julie Elliott of Whitburn Bay
Patricia Ferguson MP
John Finucane MP
Will Forster MP
Rt Hon. Stephen Flynn MP
Mary Foy MP
Stephen Gethins MP
Andrew George MP
Rt Rev. Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester
Sarah Green MP
Rt Hon. Lord Peter Hain
Claire Hanna MP
Chris Hazzard MP
Lord John Hendy KC
Pippa Heylings MP
Chris Hinchliff MP
Baroness Fiona Hodgson of Abinger CBE
Dáire Hughes MP
Adnan Hussain MP
Imran Hussain MP
Kim Johnson MP
Afzal Khan MP
Ayoub Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Peter Lamb MP
Chris Law MP
Graham Leadbitter MP
Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett
Seamus Logan MP
Brian Leishman MP
Clive Lewis MP
Helen Maguire MP
Cathal Mallaghan MP
Rt Hon. Kit Malthouse MP
Paul Maskey MP
Andy McDonald MP
Rt Hon. John McDonnell MP
Llinos Medi MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece
Calum Miller MP
Baroness Nosheena Mobarik
Layla Moran MP
Grahame Morris MP
Tom Morrison MP
Rt Hon. Baroness Lindsay Northover
Lord Jonny Oates
Brendan O’Hara MP
Dr Simon Opher MP
Kate Osamor MP
Lord Jeremy Purvis of Tweed
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Marie Rimmer MP
Anna Sabine MP
Liz Saville Roberts MP
Naz Shah MP
Baroness Shas Sheehan
Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon
Vikki Slade MP
Andy Slaughter MP
Rt Hon. Lord Nicholas Soames of Fletching
Alex Sobel MP
Rt Rev. Christopher Chessun, Lord Bishop of Southwark
Zarah Sultana MP
Jon Trickett MP
Baroness Pola Uddin
Rt Hon. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
Munira Wilson MP
Pete Wishart MP
Steve Witherden MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
