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Spoof ads have appeared on Tube trains in London, in an attempt to draw attention to talks over an UK-Israel trade deal – which are ongoing despite Israel blocking aid and energy supplies to the Gaza strip.
The ‘subvertising’ stunt, a mock Labour party campaign poster, features an image of Foreign Secretary David Lammy shaking hands with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, with the text: “With Labour, Britain is doing deals with war criminals.”
One of the ads appears by a bus stop near Parliament, while over 200 were reportedly put up on Jubilee Line tube trains and stations, according to a source involved in the stunt. They were put up on Wednesday afternoon by a team of anonymous campaigners.
A spokesperson for the activists said: “Israel has committed the most serious war crimes and is under investigation for genocide at the ICJ, yet the UK Government says it wants to cosy up further to the country via a new trade deal.
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“Not only would a new trade agreement provide diplomatic support and help whitewash Israel’s war crimes, but the deal also stands to increase UK trade with the Israeli technology industry, which plays a central role in enforcing the occupation, including AI, facial recognition and cyber.”
They added: “Trade relations are one of the few sources of leverage that the UK holds over Israel that could put pressure on it to end its genocidal violence in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel’s trade and investment relations with the rest of the world also help it to sustain its illegal presence on Palestinian land.
“With Israel pouring huge amounts of money into the war, racking up huge debts, and tanking its credit rating, coordinated economic pressure by other countries could have an impact.”
They pointed to thirty years of boycott and trade sanctions which helped bring about the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa. “As Israel seeks to cut off aid and electricity to Gaza as well as intensifying attacks on the West Bank, now is the time to ramp up economic pressure on Israel,” the spokesperson added.
Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds is spearheading the talks between the two countries, which have been going on since 2022 under the Conservative trade secretary Kemi Badenoch – now leader of the opposition.
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According to Declassified UK, Reynolds’ Israeli counterpart in the discussions is Minister Nir Barkat, known as one of the more hardline supporters of Israel’s military campaign against Gaza. Last July, the UK Government confirmed its commitment to keeping the trade talks going shortly after an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza resulted in more than 30 deaths.
In response to a question from Byline Times, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said of the talks on Wednesday: “I don’t have any update on trade negotiations, but you’ve got [the PM’s] words…Our position will always be that humanitarian aid should never be used as a political weapon.”
Pressed on whether there would be sanctions on Israel or a suspension of the trade talks, the PM’s spokesman added: “We’re obviously alongside our partners [with the] statement that came out from UK, France and Germany last week, calling on Israel to abide by its international obligations. We continue to engage with allies at all levels to make that position clear.”
In a statement issued at last time, the Labour Government boasted of trade talks with countries including Israel, saying: “Our teams will be entering negotiating rooms as soon as possible, laser-focused on creating new opportunities for UK firms so they can support jobs across the country and deliver the growth we desperately need.”
As a Politico article in September 2024 noted: “They may be publicly beefing over arms sales, but Britain and Israel insist they’re still fully committed to a trade deal.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “This poster was not authorised by TfL nor our advertising partners and we have instructed our teams and contractors to remove any that are found on our network.”
TfL said it removes any unauthorised items as soon as they are reported. The transport body regularly inspects its stations, as well as its train and bus fleet to remove any unauthorised posters.
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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.
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