The New Dark Age

Two legal organisations have officially filed a complaint against three barristers from UK Lawyers for Israel. 

The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) have filed a complaint with the Bar Standards Board, the legal regulator, against Lord David Pannick KC, Lord Anthony Grabiner KC and Stephen Hockman KC in their capacity as patrons of UK Lawyers for
Israel (UKLFI).

The complaint accuses UKLFI of leveraging the names and reputations of the senior barristers to pressure institutions, businesses and individuals supportive of Palestine.

Submitted on behalf of organisations spanning education, healthcare, migrant advocacy, trade unions and the arts, it includes testimony on the impact of intimidatory legal correspondence.

Founded in 2011, UK Lawyers for Israel describes itself as an  “association of lawyers who support Israel using their legal skills… against BDS and other attempts to undermine, attack or delegitimise.” 

While the complaint concerns a long-running pattern of activity, similar tactics remain in use today.

This week, the pro-Palestinian American commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker were denied their visas to enter the UK, ahead of planned appearances at the Oxford Union and the SXSW London festival. 

UK Lawyers for Israel claimed credit on their website, trumpeting that they wrote to the Home Office in May to ‘review and determine’ whether immigration action was warranted. 

Over a decade ago, the co-founder and now chief executive of UKLFI, Jonathan Turner, spoke proudly about his organisation’s role in scuppering the 2011 flotilla of ships from Greece heading to Gaza. 

More recently, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital removed a display of Palestinian children’s
artwork, and the British Museum scrubbed references to ‘Palestine’ from some of its displays – both following pressure by UK Lawyers for Israel. 

The ELSC’s landmark report, Index of Repression, published in February, is a public record documenting patterns of legal, political, and institutional repression targeting Palestinian solidarity in Britain. UK Lawyers for Israel is identified repeatedly throughout.

In August last year, we reported that a previous complaint had been made by ELSC and PILC, saying that UKLFI is using the law improperly to threaten civil society groups, effectively operating as an unregulated legal firm.

This issue lies at the heart of the latest complaint, which marks a significant escalation and could have far-reaching consequences. As the Bar Standards Board regulates barristers in England and Wales, complaints can lead to formal investigations and disciplinary proceedings against those involved.

Whether the complaint succeeds or not, it marks another step in the growing pursuit of accountability for the pro-Israel lobbying network in Britain.