Letter to the Times sent by Chris Doyle, Caabu Director
Sir,
A UK ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is long overdue ("'Boycott' fears over Burnham's Israel plan", Aug 26).
Under the Rome statute, the transfer of an occupying power's population into occupied territory is a war crime. The argument that such a ban would inevitably extend to a ban on trade with Israel itself is a red herring.
This is a problem of Israel's making, not Britain's. If Israel wishes to preserve its trading relationship with the UK and the other states now moving towards such a ban, its government should meet its international legal obligations and halt the export of settlement goods and services. That would be a first step towards dismantling settlements that should never have been built.
Chris Doyle
Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding
