Number 10 Downing Street has rejected Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s accusation that Israel was breaking international humanitarian law.
Questioned by Labour MP Rupa Huq about Israel taking “provocative action during Ramadan” by halting humanitarian aid to Gaza including food, fuel and medicine, Lammy said Monday: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security.
This comes just hours after Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told Sky News this morning that Lammy had been speaking for the government.
Asked about the blockade and its consequences in parliament on Monday, Lammy said: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid – it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.”
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson said on Tuesday afternoon that the UK government position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “at clear risk” of a breach.
No arms embargo
Meanwhile McFadden ruled out imposing a full arms embargo on Israel after it killed more than 300 Palestinians without warning on Tuesday morning, unilaterally ending its ceasefire with Hamas.
The Council for Arab-British Understanding said: “In a disgraceful move, No 10 Downing Street has tried to retract the Foreign Secretary’s clear statement accusing Israel of violating international law with its blockade of Gaza.
“It undermines the government’s claims that it respects international law and exposes a clear chasm between the Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary.”
Oxfam Chief Executive Halima Begum described the government’s move as “nothing short of appalling”.
“The UK Government must condemn these crimes in the strongest terms immediately and stop its complicity in this catastrophic crisis.”
Jereym Corbyn wrote a letter on the issue and added: “Today, mothers and fathers in Gaza are mourning their children because governments across the world did not deem their lives worthy of protection.”
Baroness Warsi wrote: “We have failed Palestine The failure of a world that left a people’s occupied for generations, failed to recognise the state of Palestine and condemned them to constant cycles of violence. Horrific news emerging of Israel killing over100 children in its latest attack on Gaza.”
Yanis Varoufakis wrote: “No, the ceasefire did not collapse. Israel collapsed it, as they always planned. After two weeks of no supplies to 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, once hunger had returned, Israel unleashed its bombs once again. And so the genocide continues.”
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