The UK Prime Minister’s office and its Foreign Office have both have walked back claims made by Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Israel is breaching international law in its siege of Gaza.
Lammy made the remarks during a session of Parliament on Monday following a question by fellow Labour MP Rupa Huq, who asked him what the consequences were for Israel following accusations that its cutting off of all humanitarian aid to Gaza breaches international law.
Lammy replied that the blockade “is a breach of international law”, adding that “we urge Israel to get back to the number of trucks we are seeing going in – way above 600 – so that Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support they need at this time.”
The Foreign Office, however, backtracked on the comments on Tuesday, with the Daily Telegraph quoting a spokesperson for the department as saying: “The Foreign Secretary’s position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law”, rather than actually breaching international law.
A further statement was also made by a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to The Guardian, who said: “Our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law, and we continue to call the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations.”Â
“The government is not a court, and, therefore, it is up to courts to make judgements,” the spokesperson said.
Lammy made his remark in parliament on Monday after Israel’s decision to cut off all humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on 2 March while stalling negotiations.
The move sparked widespread international condemnation and aid agencies accused Israel of imposing collective punishment on Gaza and using humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip.
“Israel has been committing non-stop violations of international law in Gaza and the West Bank for over a year; including most recently blocking all aid into Gaza, collectively punishing over two million people who are already living in apocalyptic conditions,” Halima Begum, the Chief Executive of Oxfam, said in response to the backtrack.
“These war crimes have been televised and reported by countless organisations and legal bodies, from the UN to the International Court of Justice.”
The backtrack comes after Israel launched a horrific bombardment of the enclave beginning on Tuesday morning that has killed at least 413 people and sparked global outrage.
The New Arab emailed the FCDO for comment in light of this development, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
“Today of all days, when Israel has resumed its illegal bombing campaign and forced displacement orders on Palestinians in Gaza, for the Government to row back on the Foreign Secretary’s words is nothing short of appalling,” Begum added.
The Council of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) released a statement calling the move “disgraceful”, adding that “it undermines the government’s claims that it respects international law and exposes a clear chasm between the Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary.”
CAABU’s director Chris Doyle said that “Downing Street has serious questions to answer about the government’s continued complicity with Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”
“We have raised the illegal blockade with David Lammy and other Ministers repeatedly since October 2023 and most recently with a Foreign Office Minister last week.
“We cannot have a business-as-usual relationship, which is why it is welcome that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will not be coming to the UK this week,” he added.
In response to the renewed Israeli bombardment, Lammy said that the number of civilian casualties was “appalling”, while adding that “diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we get security for Israelis and Palestinians.”
The war has killed at least 62,100 people and has caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis across the enclave.
