What role has UK played in Israel’s war on Gaza?
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Green MPs and peers demand answers from Starmer and an end to UK involvement in illegal US-Israel war on Iran
Iran’s Foreign Minister has warned Yvette Cooper in a phone call that allowing US use of UK bases is considered as British “participation in aggression”.
Green MPs and peers have written to Keir Starmer expressing alarm at the UK’s involvement in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran and pressing the Prime Minister to answer a number of urgent questions – including what control, if any, the UK has over US strikes launched from British bases and whether British-made weapons components are being used in breach of international law.
They note that the UK is obliged under international law to have no involvement in illegal military action, including the use of UK bases and UK-made weapons, and reiterate demands for an end to all UK complicity in this illegal war.
FULL TEXT OF LETTER
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing as Green Party MPs and Peers to express our alarm at the UK’s involvement in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.
Already well over 1,000 civilians have been killed, including a reported 168 children killed by a missile now widely believed to be from the United States (Guardian, 2026). UNICEF has reported that the Israeli military’s assault on Lebanon is killing or injuring the equivalent of one classroom of children every day (Reuters, 2026).
In addition to the grave humanitarian impacts, the longer this illegal, unnecessary war continues, the greater the global economic fallout – to which the UK is particularly exposed because it remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
In light of this, there are urgent questions your government must answer:
- What steps, if any, is your government taking to ensure that B-1 and B-52 bombers taking off from RAF Fairford are being used for ‘specific, limited defensive purposes’ – as you committed to?
- What assessment have you made, if any, of how many Iranian civilians have been killed by US bombing missions from British air bases?
- Are target lists for US strikes from British soil approved by the Ministry of Defence before each mission or audited afterwards?
- Is the US being permitted to load banned cluster munitions at British bases?
- What assessment has the government made of the risk of UK-made weapons components being used in violation of international law in Iran, including in the Tomahawk missile systems which may have been involved in the strike on the Shajareh Tayyerbeh girls’s school which killed a reported 168 children and 14 teachers, in the single deadliest known attack so far?
- What assessment has the government made of the risk of UK-made weapons components being used by the Israeli government in violation of international law in Lebanon?
The UK is obliged under international law to have no involvement in illegal military action, including the use of UK bases and UK-made weapons. It is therefore of the utmost importance that these questions are answered as a matter of urgency.
This illegal war is inflicting untold suffering and devastation in the region and will cause huge and long lasting human, political, economic and environmental ramifications, as well as the immediate impact on the cost-of-living for our constituents. We, as Green Party MPs and Peers, reiterate our calls for the UK government to:
- Withdraw all permission for the US to use UK military bases for attacks on Iran.
- End all arms sales to and military cooperation with the Israeli government.
- Impose sanctions on government officials responsible for breaches of international law.
- Condemn the actions of Trump and Netanyahu for their flagrant violations of international law.
- Refuse any further complicity in this illegal war.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Carla Denyer MP
Siân Berry MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
UN warns of “ethnic cleansing” as 36,000 Palestinians displaced in West Bank
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The United Nations has warned of “ethnic cleansing” committed by Israel in the occupied West Bank, citing the displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians over the past year.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the scale of displacement represents “forced displacement on an unprecedented scale”, raising concerns about a coordinated policy of mass transfer.
The report stated that the developments suggest efforts aimed at permanent displacement of Palestinians from parts of the occupied territories.
It also documented a sharp rise in Israeli settler violence, recording 1,732 attacks causing injuries or property damage in the past 12 months, compared with 1,400 incidents in the previous period.
According to the report, these attacks have included intimidation, destruction of homes, and damage to agricultural land, contributing to worsening living conditions for Palestinian communities.
READ: Spain condemns ‘unacceptable’ escalation of violence in occupied West Bank
The UN described the violence as “coordinated, strategic and widespread”, adding that it often occurs with near-total impunity. It also stated that Israeli authorities play a “pivotal role” in enabling or facilitating such actions.
The report highlighted a significant escalation during the olive harvest season in October, when 42 attacks injured 131 Palestinians, including women and children — the highest monthly toll recorded since 2006.
It added that increasing restrictions on farmers’ access to their land, alongside the involvement of armed settlers and soldiers, have made the most recent harvest season the worst in decades.
The UN called on Israeli authorities to immediately halt settlement expansion and take steps to prevent further displacement and violence, warning that continued developments could further destabilise the situation in the occupied West Bank.
READ: Israeli forces prevent worshippers from performing Tarawih prayers in Jerusalem neighbourhoods
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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- Hezbollah says resistance proven effective as conflict rages in Lebanon
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- Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei rejects ceasefire proposals, source says
- Egypt warns regional war must not overshadow Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe
- Tunisian rights groups demand release of Gaza flotilla activists
- Macron rejects sending navy to Hormuz as Europe urges Trump to halt war
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UK Government must make clear it will not accept Trump and Netanyahu’s breaches of international law, say Greens
Responding to recent international developments in the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Dr Ellie Chowns, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party, said:
“Just weeks ago we saw Trump and Netanyahu launch illegal strikes against Iran in the midst of ongoing negotiations, endangering countless civilian lives and dragging the entire surrounding region into chaos. Despite the clear human cost of this flagrant breach of international law, the UK Government did not condemn the initial attacks made by the US and Israel. On the contrary, Keir Starmer has continued to stress Britian’s allyship with these two nations – and in allowing the US to use UK military bases for ‘defensive’ action, has risked dragging the UK further into an illegal war.
“The US and Israel have continuously flouted international law with apparent impunity. Whether concerning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank or the US’s unilateral attacks on Venezuela in the name of oil imperialism, the UK Government has refused to pursue appropriate action against these nations for breaching international law or to re-evaluate their status as allies to Britain.
“This permissiveness has not tempered the two countries. Following the strikes on Iran, Israel has expanded their ground campaign in Lebanon, displacing a million people throughout the country and seemingly preparing for prolonged occupation of southern Lebanon. Trump has intensified his threats against Cuba following the collapse of the island nation’s energy grid under a US-imposed oil blockade, declaring just yesterday that he believes he will ‘take’ the country and ‘could do anything [he] want[s] with it.’
“This cannot continue. The Green Party calls on the UK Government to make clear to Trump and Netanyahu the UK will not accept breaches of international law, to withdraw permission for the US to use UK military bases, and to refuse any further complicity in this illegal war. Furthermore, we reiterate our calls for the UK to halt all arms sales to and military cooperation with the Israeli Government, to drive independent investigations into war crimes committed and support justice mechanisms for victims, and to impose sanctions on government officials responsible for breaches of international law.”
Corbyn writes to Starmer urging co-operation into war crimes investigation
Jeremy Corbyn takes part in a Palestine Coalition march in central London, January 31, 2026JEREMY Corbyn asked Sir Keir Starmer today if he will co-operate with any investigation into British complicity in war crimes following the publication of the Gaza Tribunal Report.
The former Labour leader wrote to the PM, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and former foreign secretary David Lammy after the tribunal found ministers should face investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for failing to prevent a genocide in Gaza.
The letter urged the government to end all military co-operation with Israel as well as impose economic sanctions and suspend its trade agreement with the state.
The tribunal calls for a full investigation by the ICC into Britain’s actions in response to the conflict, as well as an independent public inquiry into any co-operation between Britain and Israel since October 2023.
It says that Britain was complicit in Israel’s actions, which a UN commission found to have constituted a genocide last year.