Britain Aware That Israel is in Violation of International Law, but Withholding Findings: Report
The British government has been one of the top supporters of Israel’s war effort in Gaza
Britain’s own lawyers have reportedly informed the government that Israel is in violation of international law in Gaza but the government has not made the findings public.
Middle East Eye reported that “such legal assessment would require the UK to cease all arms sales to Israel and intelligence sharing,” and now MPs are calling for the government to release all legal advice it has received vis-a-vis Gaza.
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“The prime minister and foreign secretary owe it to the public and to the high offices they currently hold to be honest about whether they have received advice that Israel has breached international humanitarian law,” Stephen Flynn, Westminster leader of the Scottish National party, said, according to The Financial Times.
The death toll in Gaza is approaching 33,000 and about 1.1 million have been displaced in the southern city of Rafah.
The British government has been one of the top supporters of Israel’s war effort in Gaza. But Alicia Kearns, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, said at an event last week: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law but the government has not announced it,” according to the paper.
She continued, “I remain convinced the government has completed its updated assessment on whether Israel is demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law, and that it has concluded that Israel is not demonstrating this commitment, which is the legal determination it has to make.”
The report came shortly after Annelle Sheline, a human rights official at the U.S. State Department, resigned after it became clear to her that the Biden administration would not stop arming Israel no matter what. She also said the State Department is lying when it says Israel is complying with international rules.
“Just recently, the State Department ascertained that Israel is in compliance with international law in the conduct of the war and in providing humanitarian assistance. To say this when Israel is preventing the adequate entrance of humanitarian aid and the U.S. is being forced to air drop food to starving Gazans, this finding makes a mockery of the administration’s claims to care about the law or about the fate of innocent Palestinians,” she said.
Zarah Sultana, a Labour MP, posted on X that Foreign Secretary David Cameron should resign and called the report a “shocking revelation.”
Actions like these by British and US governments are in themselves a crime against humanity for aiding and abetting genocide. British and American government leaders may be too arrogant to believe there will be repercussions for aiding and abetting Israel's holocaust against Palestinians in Gaza. But it is a litmus test for them, the ICC, U N Security Council. If they fail the test by failing to enforce international law, no longer will they hold credibility in anybody's eyes.