![Labor calls for suspension of arms sales in Israel if there is 'clear risk' of breach of international law](https://res.cloudinary.com/dyw8mv3b0/image/upload/c_fill,g_face,q_85,w_710,h_355,f_auto/v1/news/2024_04/2WXWMNG_y13mqv.jpg)
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories. April 2, 2024. Palestinians inspect damage at the al-Shifa hospital complex, following a two-week military operation by the Israeli army in Gaza City. (alamy)
4 minutes reading
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called on Foreign Secretary David Cameron to publish the government’s legal advice on Israel’s actions in Gaza and to suspend British arms sales to Israel if there is a “clear risk” that the country violates international law in Gaza.
In a statement on Wednesday following the killing of British aid workers by the Israeli army on Monday evening, Lammy accused Cameron of being “silent” about the legal advice the government has received over the Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Lammy also said Labour’s “deepest condolences go out to the families of the three heroic Britons who risked their lives to get Palestinian citizens the help they desperately need”, adding that “Israel must face serious consequences of their murders.
On Monday evening, the Israeli army killed seven people working for the World Central Kitchen charity in Gaza in airstrikes, three of whom were British nationals. The charity has provided millions of meals to civilians in Gaza, which charities warn is currently at risk of a famine, destroying much of key infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.
“It is completely wrong for the Foreign Minister to remain silent on whether or not Israel complies with international humanitarian law, after saying almost a month ago that he would receive new advice,” Lammy said.
“There are very serious allegations that Israel has violated international law that must be taken into account. The law is clear. UK weapons licenses cannot be granted if there is a clear risk that the items could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation. of international humanitarian law.
“Labour’s message to the government is just as clear. Publish the legal advice now. If there is a clear risk of British weapons being used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law, it is time to suspend sales of those weapons. David Cameron has received this advice, he must act on it.”
During the weekend, The observer reported that senior Conservative MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Alicia Kearns told a Tory fundraising event on March 13 that the British government has already received advice from its lawyers stating that Israel has breached international humanitarian law in Gaza .
If the British government believes that Israel is breaking international law in Gaza, the country would be obliged under British law to halt arms exports to Israel, otherwise it would be seen as a facilitator of war crimes in Gaza.
Labor intervention follows growing pressure on the government from across the political spectrum to halt arms sales to Israel, amid growing concerns that the country is violating international law in Gaza.
Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with many thousands more injured. The October 7 terrorist attack killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, with Hamas taking hundreds more Israeli hostages to Gaza.
On Wednesday, the Scottish National Party (SNP) wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labor leader Keir Starmer and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, demanding that Parliament be recalled from the Easter recess to debate Britain’s response on Israeli violence. calling for an end to the sale of British arms to Israel.
“With three British citizens among those killed in the Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers, it is essential that the British Parliament is immediately recalled,” said Stephen Flynn, leader of the SNP at Westminster.
“This situation requires the Prime Minister to come to Parliament without further delay to set out the British Government’s response to the murder of British citizens by Israel, to enable MPs to scrutinize the British Government’s response, and so that parliament can finally debate and vote on ending the war. arms sales to Israel.”
The Liberal Democrats have also called for the suspension of British weapons to Israel. For years, the Liberal Democrats have called for much tighter controls on arms exports so that British weapons are not used in conflicts such as the devastating Gaza conflict,” party leader Ed Davey said in a statement on Wednesday. “The British government must do that. take swift action to suspend arms exports to Israel.”
In an interview with The sun On Wednesday, Sunak said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening after the killing of British aid workers and told him the “situation is becoming increasingly unbearable” in Gaza.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night and I made it very clear to him that the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable and that we urgently need to see a thorough and transparent investigation into what happened,” he said.
“But also a dramatic increase in the amount of aid coming into Gaza, which will remove the barriers. Also working more closely with aid organizations so that things like this don’t happen again.”
Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely was also summoned to the Foreign Office on Tuesday afternoon following the deaths of the British aid workers, where Development Minister Andrew Mitchell “called for a swift and transparent investigation, shared with the international community, and full accountability” .
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of British politics anywhere on the web, offering high-quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe