RISHI Sunak and senior Labour figures have been accused of “failing” to hold Israel to account for “clear” breaches of international law by human rights campaigners.
Amnesty International said that the fact that both the UK Government and the main opposition's refusal to condemn Israel diminished the gravity of the human rights violations committed by the state.
The group called on the Prime Minister and other UK politicians to “explicitly oppose all war crimes”, whether they were committed by Palestine or Israel.
It comes as Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy was forced to defend her party’s position on Israel’s siege of Gaza on Sunday.
Writing in The Telegraph, Sunak said the UK Government “absolutely” supports Israel’s right to “defend itself against this murderous enemy”.
“More than a right, it has a duty to its citizens to restore the country’s security and bring the hostages home,” he wrote.
The Prime Minister also wrote that Palestinian people in Gaza are “suffering terribly” as the number of casualties rises, adding: “They are the victims of Hamas too, who use the innocent as human shields. The terrorists murder Israeli children, then run and hide behind Palestinian children.”
And, we told how Labour leader Keir Starmer (above) faced criticism as the party saw a raft of councillors quit after he suggested in an LBC interview that “Israel does have that right” to cut off power and water to Gaza, before later attempting to clarify that he was referring to Israel’s right to defend itself.
Asked if, following a backlash from Muslim party members, Starmer would apologise, Nandy said: “We can’t apologise for holding a position that we’ve never held.”
She repeatedly declined to say whether she believes Israel has broken international law by laying siege to Gaza during a BBC interview on Sunday.
“I’m not going to sit in your studio and grandstand and tell you that I’m going to make big pronouncements about what Israel is and isn’t doing in what is a very complex, difficult situation,” Nandy said.
“Israel is still having rockets fired against its own people from a proscribed terrorist organisation and where you’ve got 200 hostages sitting in basements in Gaza who haven’t yet been released.
“What we’ve got to ensure is that international law is upheld.”
Following the comments made by Sunak and Nandy, world-leading human rights organisation Amnesty International criticised the refusal of both to condemn Israel’s actions.
“It is right that the Prime Minister and other leading UK politicians are calling for restoring water and humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh (below) said.
“But the fact that neither the government nor the main opposition party are willing to condemn Israel’s clear breaches of international law is wrong and fails to hold Israel to account in a consistent way.
“The brutal attacks against Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups were war crimes. But Israel is responding to war crimes with more war crimes, which can never be justified, rationalised, or ignored.
“UK politicians must explicitly oppose all war crimes, whether by Palestinian armed groups or the Israeli authorities.”
Deshmukh added that “time is running out” for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with multiple UN agencies warning the situation is “catastrophic”.
He added: “By refusing to condemn clear breaches of international law, by not saying clearly that Israel’s restriction of water and food is collective punishment and a war crime, and that Israel’s evacuation order amounts to forcible displacement, UK politicians are diminishing the gravity of Israel’s actions, limiting pressure on Israel to change course, and contributing to an environment where human rights violations against Palestinians are diminished.
“Palestinian armed groups must stop indiscriminate rocket fire and release hostages, and Israel must lift the blockade of Gaza, rescind its evacuation order and refrain from unlawful and indiscriminate attacks.
“All are clear violations of international humanitarian law; they must be condemned, and there must be increased calls for justice and accountability, including via the International Criminal Court, to help address the root causes of this decades-long crisis.”
It comes as the Palestinian ambassador to the UK has warned that a “humanitarian catastrophe” is unfolding in Gaza.
Husam Zomlot (above) told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “Carnage, horror, in every sense, families have to make choices of should they leave, should they stay.
“Families are thinking of rationing water with children, which child can sustain more.”
He said numerous agencies were describing the unfolding situation in Gaza as “unprecedented”.
