The UK should sanction financial institutions financing unlawful Israeli settlement activity

Study and practice of how sovereign states, international institutions, and non-state actors interact across borders. Encompasses diplomacy, negotiation, alliances, and conflict — the foundational domain through which global order is constructed, contested, and maintained.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, rooted in competing territorial claims, national identity, and historical grievances dating back to the late 19th century. It encompasses disputes over land, sovereignty, and the status of Jerusalem, and has been marked by multiple wars, peace negotiations, and periods of sustained violence involving Israeli forces, Palestinian factions, and neighboring states.

A landlocked territory between Jordan and Israel, home to around three million Palestinians and governed in part by the Palestinian Authority. Occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War, it remains a central flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, shaped by ongoing settlement expansion, military operations, and competing claims to statehood.

New UK regulations broadened sanctions grounds to include serious humanitarian-law violations and obstruction of humanitarian assistance. They provide designation powers covering involvement in qualifying conduct, rather than automatically imposing sanctions on entire sectors. The regulations came into force on 15 October. The framework also enables action against supporters of unlawful settlement activity.