Zack Polanski has urged Keir Starmer to impose 'robust sanctions' on Israel, calling on the Labour government to scrap the UK‑Israel trade agreement and ban US forces from using British airspace after Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The Green Party deputy leader made the intervention on Friday at the launch of his party's local election campaign in London, accusing Israel of 'behaving in a completely uncontrolled way' and insisting Britain could no longer claim to be a bystander in the region's spiralling violence.
The news came after days of mounting international alarm over the widening conflict, with Israel's bombardment of Lebanon adding to the already devastating war in Gaza and raising fears of a broader regional clash. In Westminster, Starmer has so far resisted calls from some backbench MPs and campaign groups for sanctions, instead stressing Israel's right to self-defence within international law, while the UK continues to maintain defence and trade links with Tel Aviv.
