- Cameron links US support for Israel to adherence to international law
- UK PM Sunak calls for Hamas to stop hostilities
- Pressure mounts in the UK to halt arms sales to Israel
Foreign Secretary David Cameron writes in a newspaper column that America’s backing of Israel is contingent on the country’s observance of international humanitarian law.
The former prime minister’s remarks were made days after seven aid workers, including three Britons, were slain in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike.
“Our support is not absolute,” Cameron wrote on Sunday in The Sunday Times. “Even when challenged, we expect such a prosperous and honourable democracy to adhere to international humanitarian law.”
Israeli support for the British government has been unwavering ever since October 7, when Hamas launched an assault on southern Israel.
In recent months, Cameron has adopted a more resolute stance regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.
He had earlier cautioned that “famine is a distinct possibility” in Gaza on Sunday, as a Royal Navy ship en route to the Mediterranean to assist in the establishment of a maritime assistance corridor.
Cameron stated that the United Kingdom was collaborating with Cyprus, the United States, and other nations to construct a “new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to ensure the safe and prompt delivery of humanitarian aid.”
“Abandoned by the bloodshed”
In a statement released on Sunday to commemorate six months since the initial Hamas attack, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged the Palestinian organisation to cease hostilities and liberate Israeli captives immediately.
“We maintain our support for Israel’s right to repel the Hamas terrorist menace… “However, the entire United Kingdom is appalled by the slaughter and the loss of valiant British heroes who were delivering food to those in need,” he added.
Sunak is encountering increasing political pressure to cease the sale of weapons to Israel in the wake of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, which claimed the lives of seven humanitarian workers, three of whom were British nationals.
Several of Israel’s most essential allies condemned the fatalities and demanded that an independent investigation be conducted into the attack.
According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he conveyed to Netanyahu that his nation was “outraged” over the death of assistance worker Zomi Frankcom.
Legal disputes
Additionally, the government of the United Kingdom is compelled to release its most recent legal opinion regarding Israel’s Gaza conflict, as failure to do so could have repercussions for British arms exports.
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More than 600 members of the British legal profession and three former Supreme Court justices joined forces last week to demand that the government cease arms sales to Israel, arguing that doing so could implicate the United Kingdom in the genocide in Gaza.
Israel received $53 million worth of British munitions in 2022. The government determined in December that these exports could continue but would be regularly monitored.
Cameron announced on March 8 that a new judgement was being rendered in the “coming days” regarding this matter.
According to a survey published in The Guardian, the majority of British citizens support a moratorium on the sale of weapons to Israel. The survey indicates that 56% of respondents support a prohibition, while 17% are opposed.
Sunak said the UK is breaking international law by arming Israel
