Foreign Secretary David Cameron has promised to hold Israel responsible for the deaths of three British aid workers in Gaza, but refuses to stop selling them weapons.
Britons James Henderson, James Kirby and John Chapman were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) volunteers killed by a drone strike on Monday. while trying to deliver food to Palestinians in a clearly marked charity vehicle.
WCK founder Jose Andres claimed the Israeli military knew of his aid workers’ movements and targeted them ‘systemat ically, car by car’.
Their deaths have caused international anger toward Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza, which has resulted in 30,000 civilians killed and accusations of genocide against the Middle-Eastern state.
US President Joe Biden called for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ in the region after the attack and stated that American support for Israel would now depend on them taking new measures to protect aid workers and civilians.
The British government has refused to commit to withdrawing support, instead calling for a ‘pause’ in the fighting to create conditions for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’.
In an interview with The Times, the brother of aid worker Jim Henderson said yesterday it was ‘difficult to understand’ the Government’s response.
In a statement for the family, he said: ‘Accountability is the only hope of justice I have… I don’t believe our Government will hold the right people accountable, but I am sure our Government will sell weapons to Israel, which may… be used to kill our fellow citizens.’
In response to the claims, Lord Cameron told the Mail that he vowed to make Israel answer for the deaths and said the Israeli governmentcomprehends how serious this issue is and how they need to thoroughly investigate and ensure it never happens again.
But he declined to affirm if the UK is confident Israel is acting within international law or if arms sales might be suspended, and dismissed claims that the British government is downplaying the incident to avoid upsetting Israel.
Cameron’s comments were supported by some of his party’s MPs, including former home secretary Suella Braverman who stated Israel is ‘absolutely not’ violating international humanitarian law and should not be punished.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Bob Seely, who sits on the Foreign Affairs committee, said calls to suspend arms sales were ‘shallow gesture politics’ and the UK should ‘double down’ on its relationship with Israel.
He told BBC Newsnight: ‘The reality is that we supply 0.02% of Israel’s arms imports, which is a meaninglessly small figure, and actually by blocking it, effectively, this is shallow gesture politics and nothing but.
‘And it’s symptomatic of the way that gesture politics is driving out rigorous thought from public debate. So, let’s have a rigorous public debate, let’s talk about the issues, but please, let’s just drop the gesture politics because it’s pretty pointless.'
'If you want to create a plan and have an impact on people, you need to stay close to them. So, we need to strengthen our relationship with Israel and the Arab states involved.'
The Government is facing pressure to release legal advice following concerns from civil servants at the Department of Business and Trade dealing with arms exports, about their own legal responsibility if Israel violates international humanitarian law.
Members of the PCS union have threatened legal action to stop their members from being compelled to perform illegal acts.
Mr Seely said: 'Governments do not make legal advice public, and I believe this will continue to be the case for any future government, as it is now.'
Referring to other countries the Government has been urged to cut ties with, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Mr Seely stated that it is in the 'national interest' to maintain relationships.
He said: 'We should stand by our principles, but we also need to be cautious in our military and intelligence relationships because we have invested a lot in these relationships, which are of great national interest, and we need to think strategically.'
A letter calling for the UK to halt arms sales to Israel signed by over 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.
Mr Netanyahu’s office has approved 'immediate measures' by the security cabinet to assist in delivering aid to Gaza, including temporarily opening the Erez crossing at the northern end of the territory and permitting the use of the Israeli port of Ashdod for aid shipments.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that the nation 'welcomes' Israel’s decision and urged the measures to be 'fully and promptly implemented'.
'As the President mentioned today on the call, US policy regarding Gaza will be based on our evaluation of Israel’s immediate action on these and other measures, including efforts to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,' she said.
Aid from Jordan through another land route will also be allowed to increase.
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