London, MINA – Hundreds of British business leaders and professionals are urging the UK government to take a firm stance against Zionist Israel for its genocidal crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They are calling for an immediate halt to arms trade, the imposition of sanctions, and stricter oversight of Zionist Israel.
As of Thursday, 762 individuals have signed a statement demanding that the UK government stop all arms trade with Israel. They are also pressing for sanctions against those who have violated international law, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently a fugitive from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In addition to the arms embargo, the signatories are asking for a tightening of the UK’s financial and business screening systems. This measure is intended to ensure that the country does not directly or indirectly finance companies involved in international law violations and to uphold the United Nations principles on business and human rights.
“We see this not only as a moral obligation, but a professional responsibility, in line with our duty to act in the best interests of long-term social and economic resilience,” the statement read, as reported by Al Jazeera on Friday.
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Prominent business and professional figures who signed the letter include former royal advisor Jonathon Porritt CBE; candidate consultant Adam Garfunkel; Frieda Gormley, founder of interior design brand House of Hackney; Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever; and Geetie Singh-Watson MBE, an organic food entrepreneur.
Paul Polman stressed that the business world has a significant responsibility to uphold justice. “Business cannot succeed in a broken society. It’s time for business leaders to show courage, to speak out and to use our influence to uphold international law,” he said.
Adam Garfunkel, a signatory whose ancestors were Holocaust victims, added that his family’s experience taught him the importance of protecting human rights. “My great-grandmother was led into a forest, shot and buried in a mass grave. From that experience, I take a fierce conviction that every person matters, and that discrimination on the basis of ethnic identity is always wrong, wherever it takes place,” Garfunkel stated.
Since October 7, 2023, the Zionist Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip has killed over 60,000 people in 22 months. The latest invasion is still ongoing in Gaza City amid a hunger crisis caused by a prolonged blockade.
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The business leaders affirmed their commitment to reviewing their operations, supply chains, financial flows, and influence to help strengthen respect for international law and support peace in Palestine. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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