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The address was delivered in New York by Ambassador James Kariuki, the UK’s Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, who outlined a three-pronged critique of Israel’s current administrative and military policies in the occupied territories.

Ambassador Kariuki stated unequivocally that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government categorically opposes the expansion of settlements, labelling them an explicit violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

The UK highlighted several metrics demonstrating an acceleration of settlement activity:

• Mass unit approvals:
  • In early June 2026, Israel approved more than 2,000 new settlement housing units across the West Bank, driving the total number of approvals past 6,000 for the year.
• State land declarations:
  • On June 24, Israeli authorities declared 465 dunams (approximately 115 acres) of private Palestinian land as “state land” to clear the way for an unauthorised settlement outpost.
• The E1 Project:
  • The UK expressed particular alarm over the progression of the E1 settlement corridor, warning that the project is strategically designed to bisect the West Bank and completely isolate East Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian territory, rendering a contiguous future Palestinian state impossible.

The UK described the security situation on the ground as highly volatile, citing UN metrics that show an average of six attacks per day against Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of 2026.

According to a recent report by the UN Secretary-General, there has been a staggering rise in targeted attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinian children. The UK condemned a documented “culture of impunity,” noting that these coordinated incursions against civilian populations, agricultural livelihoods, and religious landmarks—such as the June 17 arson attacks on two West Bank mosques—are frequently facilitated or actively protected by Israeli security forces.

While the UK has already enacted targeted sanctions against individuals and organisations financing settler violence, Kariuki warned that the UK Foreign Secretary stands ready to impose further unilateral sanctions if the Israeli government fails to hold perpetrators accountable.

The third component of the UK’s address targeted Israel’s systematic economic manoeuvres, which the British government warns risk triggering a total collapse of regional stability.

Israel is currently withholding over $5 billion USD in tax and customs revenues belonging to the Palestinian Authority. This financial freeze has crippled the PA’s ability to fund fundamental civic infrastructure, resulting in severe shortages of basic healthcare and critical medical supplies. The UK further admonished ongoing Israeli efforts to isolate and undermine Palestinian financial institutions, warning that destabilising the West Bank’s banking sector threatens broader regional security.

The ambassador concluded by connecting the deterioration of the West Bank to broader regional peace initiatives. The UK reiterated its firm support for the Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, endorsed by UN Resolution 2803.

The UK demanded that both Hamas and Israel meet their respective core obligations under that framework—specifically requiring Hamas to completely decommission its weapons systems and requiring Israel to strip away all remaining barriers to humanitarian aid deliveries. The UK warned the Security Council that international diplomatic progress achieved in Gaza will be entirely undone if the parallel trajectory of violence and annexation in the West Bank is left unchecked.