LABOUR have refused to call out Israeli war crimes after the country cut off food supplies to Gaza – and prepares a so-called “hell plan” to deprive Palestinians of electricity and water.
Foreign Office minister Catherine West repeatedly refused to call Israel’s actions war crimes during a statement in the Commons on Tuesday, saying only that they “risk breaching obligations under international humanitarian law”.
Green Party MP for North Herefordshire Ellie Chowns said: “[Israel] is once again using starvation as a weapon of war, and today we hear that it has also announced a so-called ‘hell plan’ that would see electricity and remaining water supplies cut off.”
She said that Israel’s actions jeopardised the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and put Israeli hostages at risk.
Chowns added: “Does the minister agree that the Israeli government is again in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and of international humanitarian law?”
West (below) replied: “A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, such as that announced by the government of Israel, does risk breaching obligations under international humanitarian law and to answer her question directly the UK Government has been in touch with interlocutors to make that point.”
She added: “Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool.”
SNP MP Brendan O’Hara also put pressure on the Government to say that Israel’s actions amounted to the collective punishment of Palestinians.
He said: “After 17 months of giving Israel carte blanche, none of us, least of all [Benjamin] Netanyahu expects there to be any meaningful consequence for their actions.
“But could she tell me, does she consider what’s happening in Gaza to be a collective punishment? And if she doesn’t, what would she call it?”
West replied: “I think sometimes the words that we use are really important. There has been an enormous amount of suffering and we know that for so many in Israel they don’t feel that we understand their need for security.
“And so many in Gaza feel we don’t understand the depth of their suffering. So we must redouble our efforts to communicate what we want to see, which is that two-state solution and that peaceful future for both of these communities which must live side-by-side.”
