UK Secretly Considered Suspending Trade Deal with Israel Amid Gaza Conflict

The UK government secretly evaluated suspending its trade agreement with Israel last year, conducting an impact assessment on the economic and social consequences of such a move without informing Parliament or the public. The assessment, carried out in August 2025 by the British Department for Business and Trade, examined the potential suspension of the 2019 post-Brexit trade continuity agreement that allows most Israeli goods to enter the UK duty-free or with preferential tariffs.

This confidential review was revealed only in June 2026 following a Freedom of Information request by the British campaign group Global Justice Now. The inquiry coincided with heightened tensions due to Israeli government actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In May 2025, the UK had already suspended negotiations on a new free trade agreement with Israel after then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israeli Defense Minister statements about "cleansing" Gaza and "destroying what remains" as "monstrous and appalling." However, the existing trade deal remained active.

Former UK Trade Secretary Chris Bryant explained in Parliament that suspending the preferential trade terms could cause "unforeseen consequences and significant economic disruption to British businesses," noting that exports to Israel support thousands of UK jobs. Despite parliamentary inquiries, the government did not disclose the existence of the impact assessment or the possibility of suspending the agreement until the FOI request.

The assessment took place amid a declared famine in Gaza and EU pressure to suspend parts of its association agreement with Israel. The EU proposed suspending some trade benefits the following month. This consideration also followed an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice stating that countries must prevent trade supporting Israel’s settlement policies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by asserting that the Jewish people are not occupiers in their historic homeland, including Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.