The Israeli government has attacked David Lammy for using X (formerly Twitter) for diplomacy after he posted strong criticism about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Less than 24 hours after the foreign secretary attended the Labour Friends of Israel annual lunch and met the mother of a hostage held by Hamas, he has provoked a row with Israel over his joint statement on the war in Gaza.
Amid growing concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza following thousands of deaths and reports that aid angencies cannot get access, Mr Lammy and his German and French counterparts (the E3 group) agreed today to sennd an ultimatum to the Israeli government.
Mr Lammy then posted on social media: “Together with France and Germany, I have written to the Israeli government to urge action on the unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel must implement the UN‘s winter plan now: send equipment to guard against cold & flooding, give access to fuel, repair vital infrastructure, and get aid in.”
The message appeared to prompt outrage from the Israeli government as official spokesman for the foreign ministry Oren Marmorstein took objection to the use of Twitter to deliver Mr Lammy’s message.
The row has exacerbated tensions over the UK government’s refusal to rule out allowing the arrest of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest.
Added to that Mr Lammy previously announced a limited arms embargo against Israel because of the situation in Gaza.
Mr Marmorstein said: “Israel is facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and does not impose any restrictions on the quantity of aid entering the Strip. However, within the Gaza Strip, international organizations are failing to distribute the aid due to looting by Hamas, among other reasons.
“As US Secretary of State Blinken recently noted, Israel has responded positively to the majority of issues raised by the United States regarding humanitarian concerns.”
He went on: “It is disappointing that the Foreign Ministers of the E3 failed to address the October 7 massacre and the daily attacks on Israeli civilians since then in their letter. Israel will continue to defend itself and its citizens, always in accordance with international law.
“In any case, the letter will be answered through the proper official channels (not via Twitter).”
The row reflects a difficult situation for the foreign secretary who has maintained the line that Israel has a right to defend itself but also been critical of its excessive attacks on Gaza.
Many Labour voters abandoned the party at the election for not taking a more critical line against Israel leading to frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth losing his seat.
Added to that another march by pro-Palestinian supporters at the weekend saw many carry posters claiming prime minister Keir Starmer “has blood on his hands”.
