Dua Lipa, Lineker Join Stars Urging UK to Halt Arms Sales to Israel
LONDON, May 29 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- Stars including Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker and Benedict Cumberbatch have urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel as the conflict in Gaza continues, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
More than 300 actors, musicians, activists, and others used an open letter to call on the prime minister to "take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza".
As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the group urged Starmer to "use all available means" to ensure humanitarian aid gets into the territory and "make a commitment to the children of Gaza" that he would broker an "immediate and permanent ceasefire."
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The signatories included Lineker, who left his role presenting football programme Match Of The Day earlier this month following a controversy over one of his social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.
He was joined by actors including Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, along with Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin, singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox, and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos.
Josie Naughton, founder of the charity Choose Love – which organised the letter, said: "Words won't save the lives of Palestinian children as they are being killed, words won't fill their empty stomachs.
"We need action from Keir Starmer now. That means stopping arms sales, making sure that legitimate humanitarian organisations can reach people in Gaza. It means doing everything possible to make these horrors end."
The letter follows Tel Aviv's decision to renew its military offensive in Gaza last week.
UK ministers have condemned the decision, suspending trade talks with Israel, sanctioning West Bank settlers, and summoning the country's ambassador, while Starmer himself called for Netanyahu to end the offensive.
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