- UK maintains stance on arms sales to Israel
- Concerns raised over humanitarian access in Gaza
- Netanyahu announces potential ground invasion in Rafah
The foreign secretary maintains that the United Kingdom maintains “grave concerns” regarding the accessibility of humanitarian aid in Gaza. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a date has been set for a ground invasion in Rafah.
Lord Cameron stated that the United Kingdom maintains an “unchanged” stance regarding arms sales to Israel.
Foreign Secretary, in response to a question regarding the most recent assessment his administration has received regarding whether or not Israel has violated international law in Gaza, stated the following.
After seven aid workers, three of whom were British volunteers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike a week ago, Number 10 has been increasingly compelled to disclose the legal counsel it has received regarding the matter.
Recently, three former Supreme Court judges joined over 600 solicitors in urging the government to cease arms sales to Israel, arguing that doing so could implicate the United Kingdom in the genocide in Gaza. Israel received £42 million worth of British munitions in 2022.
Lord Cameron, speaking alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, DC, stated: “As mandated by the United Kingdom’s stringent arms export control regime, I have now reviewed the most recent guidance regarding the Israeli military campaign and the situation in Gaza about international humanitarian law.
The most recent evaluation maintains our stance regarding export licences unaltered. This aligns with the guidance other ministers and I have received, and we will continue to evaluate the situation accordingly.
Nevertheless, he continued, “The United Kingdom continues to have grave concerns regarding the humanitarian access issue in Gaza, both during the assessed period and after that.”
As demands increase for the government to disclose the legal counsel it has procured, Lord Cameron reaffirmed that the government refrains from “publishing legal advice, we do not comment on legal advice; rather, we conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with that stance.”
Labour has demanded that the legal advice be made public and that arms sales to Israel be halted if it determines that a violation of international law has occurred, as recommended by the guidance.
However, party leader Sir Keir Starmer has encountered opposition for not going further in his demands and has only supported an embargo once he has seen the advice first.
Despite the United Kingdom and the United States imploring restraint, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated his threats to launch a ground invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is home to approximately 1.4 million Palestinians, before the news conference in Washington, DC.
Although a transient pause that led to a cessation of hostilities constituted the evident “plan A” for resolving the conflict, according to Lord Cameron, the international community must also contemplate a “plan B” in case Rafah is invaded.
“We must consider what constitutes a backup plan and what humanitarian and other organisations can do to ensure that in the event of a conflict in Rafah, people are protected and provided with food, water, and medicine,” he stated.
Additionally, the foreign secretary emphasised the United Kingdom’s contribution to the largest-ever international airdrop of aid into Gaza in a single day, in which nine countries delivered ten tonnes of essential supplies.
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He stated that the United Kingdom “remains prepared to contribute to delivering supplies to Gaza via land, air, and sea; however, the Gaza Stripes require more” and reaffirmed his demand that Israel fulfil its “public commitments” to inundate Gaza with aid.
Mr. Netanyahu stated in a video statement that a date had been set for an invasion of Rafah; however, Mr. Blinken noted at the news conference that no such date had been communicated to the United States.
While the news conference predominantly focused on the Middle East conflict, Lord Cameron embarked on a journey to Washington to influence American legislators to endorse a $60 billion (£47 billion) financial assistance package for Ukraine.
The former prime minister emphasised his reluctance to “lecture” Republicans who persist in obstructing the package but cautioned that failure to do so could compromise the security of the Western world.
Lord Cameron responded that his meeting with Donald Trump was “completely appropriate” and “consistent with the precedent of government ministers meeting with opposition politicians in the run-up to elections” when questioned elsewhere in the conference.
Lord Cameron responded when asked what had been said about Mr Trump’s stance on Ukraine: “While these remarks are perfectly acceptable, it was a private meeting, so I don’t have much to add… however, we deliberated on various significant geopolitical topics.”
