The United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote in a column published on Sunday that the UK’s support for Israel depends on whether Israel adheres to international humanitarian law, days after seven humanitarian workers, including three Brits, were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
“Our support is not unconditional,” he wrote on Sunday.
“We expect such a proud and successful democracy to abide by international humanitarian law, even when challenged,” he added.
The UK government has been a loyal ally of Israel since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7th, triggering an Israeli war to eliminate the militant Islamist group. However, Cameron has toughened his statements in recent months due to the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.
On Sunday, Cameron warned of the danger of mass starvation if Israel does not allow more aid.
On Saturday, the UK announced that it would send a naval ship to deliver aid as part of international efforts.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday, on the occasion of six months since the attack by Hamas on Israel, repeated the call to Hamas to release the Israeli hostages and stop the fighting immediately.
“We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defeat the threat posed by Hamas terrorists, but the entire UK is shocked by the bloodshed and appalled by the murder of brave British heroes who were delivering food to those in need,” Sunak said.
Legal challenge
The UK government is also under pressure to publish its latest legal assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, which could potentially impact UK arms exports.
Last week, three former Supreme Court justices joined an appeal to the government to halt arms sales to Israel, supported by over 600 legal experts.
Signatories of the appeal argue that arms sales could make the UK complicit in genocide in Gaza.
The UK supplied 42 million pounds worth of arms to Israel in 2022.
In December, the government decided that such exports should continue but be subject to scrutiny.
Cameron said on March 8th that a decision would be made “in the coming days.”
David Lammy, a potential foreign minister for the opposition Labour Party, called on the government to publish a summary of the latest legal assessment.
“I am deeply concerned that our obligations under international humanitarian law and our export and licensing regime may have been breached,” he said in an interview.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden emphasized that the government does not plan to publish it but denied giving “carte blanche” to Israel.
“Of course, Israel is accountable for mistakes and big mistakes, and we need to hold them accountable for that,” Dowden said.
