Lammy ‘begged’ to ‘save children’s lives’ in Gaza as MPs call for tougher action
David Lammy announced new measures against Israel but Labour and Tory backbenchers urged him to go further.
The Foreign Secretary has been “begged” to “save children’s lives” in Gaza as MPs from across the Commons urged him to refer to Israel’s actions in the region as a “genocide”.
David Lammy announced new measures against Israel but Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat backbenchers urged him to go further.
The Government will impose new sanctions on three individuals and four entities involved in the settler movement, and has suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement.
A number of MPs called on the Foreign Secretary to suspend all arms sales to Israel, sanction Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and to recognise a Palestinian state.
Israel has launched another major offensive in the territory in recent days, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group.
Strikes have pounded areas across Gaza and Israel has issued evacuation orders for Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis.
On Monday five aid trucks entered Gaza after Israel cut off all food, medicine and other supplies to the territory for three months to pressure Hamas over ceasefire terms.
Backbenchers shouted “genocide” as Mr Lammy said in his opening statement: “We must call this what it is.
“It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Conservative former minister Kit Malthouse said Mr Lammy’s “anger and the outrage” was “appreciated by us all”, but he added: “He knows as well as I do that the Israelis couldn’t give a damn what he says in this chamber.”
He said: “Over the last few months, we’ve tried anger and outrage and got nowhere. We’ve tried shaming ministers into action and got nowhere. So maybe we need to beg.
“Does the front bench need us to beg for the lives of those Palestinian children before they’ll trigger this concrete action? Whatever it might be?
“I’m urging, begging the Foreign Secretary to pluck up all his moral authority and courage, stand up in Government against the blockage in Downing Street and please try to save these children’s lives as soon as possible.”
Mr Lammy said it was “wrong” of Mr Malthouse to claim that “Israelis couldn’t give a fig what (is) said from this front bench”, but the Government announced further sanctions “because of the position of this Netanyahu government and the language that we see from these ministers”.
He added: “It was why I was so shocked that his own front bench couldn’t stand up and find their own moral authority.”
Mr Malthouse’s Conservative colleague Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) welcomed the new sanctions, adding that he hopes the Government will “keep those under review and take further measures if necessary”.
He said: “Is it not now increasingly clear that the Israeli prime minister has misled the US president over allowing aid back into Gaza? Ten trucks is a perverse and pathetic token.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said he was glad to see “the Foreign Secretary finally find some fire in his belly on this issue”, as he called for MPs to have a vote on recognising the state of Palestine, ending all arms sales to Israel, and whether they support the work of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In May last year the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defence minister Yoav Gallant.
In July, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion that ruled Israel should pay reparations to the Palestinian people and that their policies violate the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Mr Lammy replied: “I’ve had fire in my belly since the day I was born in the Whittington Hospital in north London, be sure of that.
“This House led the call for the international criminal architecture that we have, and we will continue, as successive governments have, to support that international architecture.”
Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, said that “lawyers instructed by this Government” have been “unequivocal in that it is this Government’s firm position that no genocide is occurring” in a case brought by Palestinian rights organisation Al-Haq.
Mr Lammy said Mr Khan’s question was a “crude caricature of a very serious issue”, adding: “I took a decision back in September in relation to international humanitarian law and suspending arms sales that could be used in Gaza, because these are very, very serious issues, I understand the issues that are before the ICC and the ICJ.”
Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne referred to the UK’s joint statement with France and Canada saying: “Israel needs to know exactly what he means by further action.”
The Foreign Secretary replied: “I would ask him to consult the Oxford dictionary and look at the two words.”
Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swathes of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
