Several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium, have announced halts to arms shipments to Israel.
A petition urging the UK government to cease arms exports to Israel has been submitted to the British Prime Minister by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and a bipartisan group of members of parliament.
Nearly 70,000 individuals have endorsed the petition, coinciding with remarks made by Alicia Kearns, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who said: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law, but the government has not announced it.”
According to the government’s arms export guidelines, it “will not grant a license if it determines there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
‘Stop the Genocide!’ – Protesters Demand UK Govt Halt Arms Sales to Israel
During a session in the Commons, Member of Parliament Zarah Sultana questioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding the veracity of Kearns’ statement.
“Was the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee telling the truth – yes or no?” Sultana asked.
Sunak declined to directly address, stating only that Israel is capable of complying with international humanitarian law.
Over 1,000 legal professionals, academics, and retired judges, including former President of the Supreme Court Baroness Hale, have signed an open letter asserting that the continued provision of arms to Israel places the UK in violation of international law.
Additionally, a bipartisan group of 135 parliamentarians previously urged the foreign and business secretaries to suspend arms export licenses to Israel.
Several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium, have announced halts to arms shipments to Israel. However, Foreign Secretary David Cameron has affirmed the UK’s intention to continue arms sales.
‘Position Unchanged’ – UK Will Not Halt Arms Sales to Israel
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,843 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,575 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, MEMO)
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