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More than 100 former French and British diplomats have signed an open letter urging French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take coordinated action in defense of international law regarding Palestine, according to a letter obtained by Anadolu on Saturday.
The letter, addressed to Burnham with copies sent to Macron and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, argues that the United Kingdom and France, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, share both a commitment to international law and a common outlook that obliges them to act.
The signatories said "the United Kingdom and France share values and an international outlook," pointing to their Security Council status as grounds for joint responsibility.
The letter states that accountability for those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity is essential, adding that only such action would allow the two governments to rebut accusations of double standards.
It further argues that France and the UK, having recognized the state of Palestine in 2025, now bear a responsibility to take urgent steps to protect the Palestinian right to self-determination.
The former diplomats accused the Israeli government of working to dismantle any prospect of an independent Palestinian state and of disregarding the International Court of Justice, as well as numerous UN Security Council resolutions.
They also took aim at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that Israel "must live by the sword," calling the approach "morally wrong and counterproductive" and warning that it "imperils Israel's security and leaves no room for negotiation."
The letter also asserts that Israeli government policies are eroding Israel's international standing and undermining laws that underpin the wider international order.
Beyond the Palestinian territories, the signatories said Israel's approach to occupation and destruction has extended into Lebanon, where they said many villages have been razed, and into Syria, describing the pattern as "a stain on the conscience of humanity."
They further alleged that in East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, Palestinian house demolitions and settler violence, carried out they said with the tacit backing of Israeli security forces, amount to ethnic cleansing, adding that "Palestine is being erased before our eyes."
The letter outlines seven specific steps it wants Paris and London to pursue. These include upholding rulings from the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement over alleged human rights breaches, and halting arms transfers to and from Israel along with bilateral military cooperation.
The signatories also called for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, to be led by UNRWA, other UN agencies and international nongovernmental organizations, alongside access for journalists, diplomats and parliamentarians.
Additional proposals include a ban on trade with Israeli settlements covering goods, investment, insurance and financial services, and warnings to potential bidders involved in financing or building the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, which the letter calls a "red line," with the suggestion that companies pursuing it face consequences for their business interests in France and the UK.
The letter also urges both governments to criminalize the purchase of property on what it terms "stolen Palestinian land" by French and British citizens, and to strip charitable status from organizations that fund settlement activity.
The signatories said these measures, by imposing penalties for violations, would safeguard the rule of law and demonstrate that an alternative to violence exists through equal rights, justice and internationally guaranteed mutual security.
They called on France and the UK to lead like-minded governments across Europe, the Middle East, the Global South, the Francophonie and the Commonwealth, describing the proposals as a reflection of shared values in international law and equal rights. "Where there is no law, none of us is safe," they said.
Among the signatories are former British ambassadors to Türkiye Sir Dominick Chilcott and Sir Kieran Prendergast, as well as former French and British consuls general to Jerusalem, including Frederic Desagneaux, Regis Koetschet, Stanislas de Laboulaye, Alain Remy and Sir Vincent Fean. The list also includes former ambassadors to Russia, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UN.
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