Advocacy group slammed for calling Gaza starvation a fix for obesity
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UK Lawyers for Israel faces backlash after suggesting Gaza’s war-driven weight loss could raise life expectancy, amid famine and a soaring death toll.
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Palestinians struggle to obtain donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 9, 2025 (AP)
A UK-based advocacy group for "Israel" has come under fire after suggesting that a reduction in obesity due to the ongoing war on Gaza could lead to increased life expectancy in the besieged Palestinian territory, The Guardian reported.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) made the claim amid widespread warnings of famine and a deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israeli war and blockade on humanitarian aid in the enclave continue.
The remarks, made by UKLFI’s chief executive Jonathan Turner, were part of a letter opposing a motion set to be debated at the Co-operative Group’s annual general meeting.
The motion called for the retailer to cease selling Israeli products. Turner criticized the motion’s reference to a Lancet-published estimate of 186,000 potential deaths in Gaza, calling it “totally false and misleading.”
In his letter, Turner argued that “the [Lancet] letter also ignored factors that may increase average life expectancy in Gaza, bearing in mind that one of the biggest health issues in Gaza prior to the current war was obesity.”
Read more: Stop the genocide or witness end of life in Gaza: UN experts warn
Outrage from pro-Palestine groups over 'sickening' remarks
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) condemned the statement as “sickening". Its director, Ben Jamal, said, “As children in the Gaza Strip face the growing risk of starvation, illness and death, the suggestion by the head of UK Lawyers for Israel that they might benefit from weight loss is utterly sickening."
"These repulsive comments illustrate exactly what it means to be ‘for Israel’ and how low its apologists are prepared to sink in their attempts to justify genocide in Gaza," he pointed out.
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), also denounced the remarks, stating mockingly on X, “How very kind of Israel to put 2.3 million Palestinians on an enforced diet to improve their obesity levels.”
How very kind of Israel to put 2.3 million Palestinians on an enforced diet to improve their obesity levels. That such an atrocious view, devoid of any factual basis or legal standing can be aired is just incredible. Such extremism should not be platformed. https://t.co/ty05KBsytZ
— Chris Doyle (@Doylech) May 9, 2025
Confectionery and cigarettes
Turner’s comments were part of UKLFI’s argument against citing the Lancet letter, which projected the death toll from "Israel’s" ongoing war on Gaza could eventually reach 186,000 due to indirect effects.
Turner countered that this figure was speculative and claimed that the report ignored factors that might have potential positive health outcomes from limited access to harmful substances such as confectionery and cigarettes.
“So we pointed out, secondly, that this claim was based on entirely unfounded speculation, which also ignored factors that might result in lengthening the lives of Gazans, given the public health situation existing in Gaza prior to the war, including the extent of obesity. These factors include the possible reduction in the availability of confectionery and cigarettes," he said.
He further defended the remarks, claiming, “In the context in which they were made, our statements were accurate and objective.”
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis: Famine and death toll
The humanitarian impact of the Gaza war continues to escalate. The health authority in Gaza reports that more than 52,000 people have been killed since "Israel" began its war on the Palestinian enclave.
A separate study published in The Lancet found that life expectancy in Gaza has dropped by 34.9 years in the first year of the war, a decline of nearly 46.3% from the prewar average of 75.5 years.
Read more: Ben-Gvir urges Netanyahu to reverse Gaza aid plan
UKLFI’s history of anti-Palestine legal interventions
UKLFI, whose patrons include former Supreme Court judge John Dyson, ex-Conservative leader Michael Howard, and barrister David Pannick KC, has a history of anti-Palestine legal interventions.
In 2023, it successfully lobbied Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London to remove a display of Palestinian children's artwork, arguing it made Jewish patients feel “vulnerable, harassed and victimised.”
The group has also threatened the UK government with legal action over the suspension of around 30 arms export licenses to "Israel".
Read more: Lifting Gaza blockade urgent, delays in aid have consequences: UN
