UK support for 'Israel' 'not unconditional': FM Cameron
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Days after an Israeli military strike killed three British aid workers, Foreign Secretary David Cameron cautioned that the UK's backing for 'Israel' is not without conditions.
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British Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrives to attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2024. (AP)
Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a newspaper column on Sunday that Britain's support for "Israel" depends on it abiding by international humanitarian law, days after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers, including three Britons.
"Our backing is not unconditional," Cameron wrote in The Sunday Times, adding, "We expect such a proud and successful democracy to abide by international humanitarian law, even when challenged."
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the British government has maintained a steadfast alliance with "Israel". However, Cameron has adopted a more assertive tone recently regarding the dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave.
He warned on Sunday against the risk of mass starvation unless "Israel" allows more aid. On Saturday, Britain said it would supply a naval vessel to ship aid as part of an international effort.
Sunak calls for a ceasefire
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday said that the "terrible" war in Gaza "must end" but reiterated his support for what he called "Israel's right to defeat the threat from Hamas."
In a statement, he said that Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza "must be released," stressing that aid to Gaza "which we have been straining every sinew to deliver by land, air and sea" must be flooded in.
Sunak said the children of Gaza needed a "humanitarian pause immediately, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire," adding that this "is the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting and loss of life."
UK government under pressure
The British government on Friday called for "utmost transparency" and a "wholly independent review" into the killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
The deaths have heaped pressure on the UK government to suspend arms export licenses to "Israel". According to arms control groups, London has approved more than £487 million ($614 million) of weapons sales to "Israel" since 2015 in so-called single-issue licenses.
Over 600 lawyers co-signed an open letter to the British government to suspend weapons export licenses that permit their sale from UK-based companies to "Israel", warning that the government is violating international law by perpetually arming the Israeli occupation entity.
The British government, meanwhile, said a Royal Navy ship would be deployed to help get more aid into Gaza. Alongside the deployment, Britain also announced a £9.7 million ($12.25 million) package for aid deliveries, logistical expertise, and equipment support for a humanitarian corridor in the eastern Mediterranean between Cyprus and Gaza.
