Council for Arab-British Understanding welcomes Lammy's comments on Israeli bombardment
LONDON: The Council for Arab-British Understanding has welcomed UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy's description of Israel's continued assault on Gaza as 'unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive.'
It also praised the UK's decision to suspend trade talks with Israel and impose sanctions on illegal settlers and entities.
However, it said the measures 'almost certainly go nowhere near far enough to stop Israeli actions,' and called for further action to be taken.
Israel's two-month aid blockade on Gaza has sparked global outcry. The UN warned this week that it could lead to 14,000 babies dying of starvation.
The council said the UK should introduce a complete arms embargo against Israel.
'The government's legal duty is to act to prevent genocide, as Tom Fletcher, the UN aid chief, pointed out at the UN Security Council. To do so, it needs to place a full arms embargo on Israel, including F35 components, put a ban on all trade with illegal settlements and place economic sanctions on Israel for its continued breaches of international humanitarian law.'
The council also condemned statements made by Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel who said the UK should support Israel's aid distribution plan for Gaza and refrained from condemning what it called 'the Israeli blockade and the genocidal comments from Israeli ministers.'
It said Israel's plan 'violates global humanitarian principles including providing aid on the basis of need. In her time as shadow foreign secretary, she has yet once in the House of Commons to criticize Israel nor to offer any sympathy to Palestinian civilians being bombed and starved.'
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