David Cameron has warned Israel that British support is not unconditional as he said Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine.
As a Royal Navy ship was deployed to help supply “life-saving aid” to the strip, the foreign secretary said the situation in Gaza is “dire” and “the prospect of famine is real”.
The government announced on Saturday its support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including sending a Royal Navy ship to “join the life-saving mission in the Eastern Mediterranean” alongside £9.7m in funding.
The ship would help set up an international humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza, assisted by the UN and expected to be operational in “early May” according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office.
“We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it. Along with the US, Cyprus and other partners, we are setting up a new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to get aid in as quickly and securely as possible,” Lord Cameron said.
And, writing in the Sunday Times, he said: “ Of course our backing is not unconditional: we expect such a proud and successful democracy to abide by international humanitarian law, even when challenged in this way.
“As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility to the people of Gaza.”
Amid a split in the cabinet about whether to suspend arms sales to Israel, deputy PM Oliver Dowden said the country was being held to “incredibly high standards”.
And he said there is a “relish” among some critics of how Israel is conducting its war on Hamas. The deputy PM confirmed Britain would stop arms sales to Israel if it was found in breach of international law.
He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “We will of course act in accordance with our obligations under law in respect of arms sales and the way that that works is there is legal advice, the Foreign Secretary reaches a judgement and he gives that advice to the Business Secretary.
“If it is the case that we can’t lawfully in accordance with the act do so, of course we won’t supply those arms, but that is precisely the position for example even in respect of the United States or any other country around the world.
“We rightly hold ourselves to a high standard, and we hold the countries to whom we export arms to a high standard, and I think that is what you would expect.
“And it contrasts so strongly, our adherence to very high values, with the appalling atrocities that have been committed by terrorist organisations against Israel.”
It came as David Lammy accused Lord Cameron of “hiding from scrutiny” over arms sales to Israel.
The shadow foreign secretary accused Lord Cameron of ignoring calls for legal advice on arms sales to be published, failing to answer questions from journalists and failing to act on the Procedure Committee’s recommendation to take questions from MPs at the Bar of the House of Commons.
He said “there is extensive plausible evidence that the threshold for suspending arms licences been crossed,” but that “determining this legally is the proper task of competent lawyers, not politicians”.
And, speaking on Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Lammy said: “Far too many people have died, 33,000 now.
“Many women, many children, and I think it is serious when we have senior judges who are on our Supreme Court who raise issues about the clear risk of breaches in international law, former head of the MI6 Sir Alex Younger says the same, and of course, I’ve said that I have serious concerns about a breach in international humanitarian law in regard to this and it’s for that reason, that I’m asking David Cameron to be very clear, and to publish the legal advice because this is serious for the British people because it would mean that we are complicit in that action.”
On Sunday morning Israel issued a new update on its six-month war against Hamas, saying the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have hit 32,000 aerial targets in Gaza, killing more than 12,000 “combatants” in the Strip. The figures could not be independently verified and Israel did not provide an overall death toll including civilians for the conflict.
Gaza’s health ministry says more than 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, while much of the 2.4 million population of the Strip has been displaced and faces acute food shortages.
Lord Cameron’s warning came after Israel killed three British aid workers in Gaza on Monday night.
John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, who were employed by the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), died in air strikes carried out by the IDF on 1 April.
Lord Cameron said there was no doubt “where the blame lies,” warning Israel that “this must never happen again.”
Following the attack on aid workers, several agencies have since suspended operations in Gaza, further increasing the risk of starvation for the region’s residents.
The UK government called for an “urgent reform” of deconfliction and assurances that guarantee the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers in Gaza.
The UN estimates that 2.7 million people across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) need humanitarian assistance, including everyone in Gaza.
“Land access remains crucial to deliver aid at the scale now required. The opening of Erez and the Port of Ashdod is hugely welcome and something the UK has long been calling for,” Lord Cameron said.
“But we need to continue to explore all options, including by sea and air, to ease the desperate plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” the foreign secretary added.
Along with aid delivery, the UK said it is also sending logistical and equipment support to the corridor, including forklift trucks and storage units as well as expertise to maximise the levels of aid reaching the people who desperately need it.
The aid corridor initiative hopes to see tens of thousands of tonnes of aid pre-screened in Cyprus, and delivered directly to Gaza, via a temporary US pier that is being constructed off the coast or via Ashdod Port.
“The Armed Forces are playing a central role in delivering aid, with the Royal Air Force recently completing five airdrops of food supplies for the people of Gaza,” Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.
“We are now going further, working with international partners to set up a humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza,” Mr Shapps added.
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