Green Party leader challenges UK sanctions plan over Rosebank oil field ties to Israel

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has sent a formal query to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband seeking assurance that the UK’s upcoming sanctions on companies linked to Israeli settlements will also apply to the Rosebank oil field. The field is developed by Ithaca Energy, which holds a 20% interest and is majority-owned by Israel’s De Dek Group, listed on a UN database for settlement activity. Polanski points out that De Dek has collected more than $1 billion in dividends from its UK oil holdings since 2020 and could earn about £235 m from Rosebank alone.

He argues that permitting the project would violate the Geneva Conventions and undermine the UK’s climate commitments. The Greens contend that sanctioning settlement firms while the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero approves their North Sea ventures is hypocritical and could damage Britain’s international credibility.