The UK Government will take further measures against Israel if a ceasefire in Gaza is not achieved in the coming weeks, David Lammy has said.
Speaking at the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, the Foreign Secretary admitted the impact of Government measures taken against Israel after a joint statement from the UK, France and Germany, was “not sufficient”.
The statement, released in May by the Prime Minister, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian premier Mark Carney, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “egregious” actions in Gaza and called for a halt to its military offensive and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The Foreign Secretary was asked by committee member Labour MP Alex Ballinger: “If we do not get the ceasefire we’re all praying for in the coming weeks…”
“No, we have to get the ceasefire,” Mr Lammy interjected.
“But if that is not the case and we see the abomination that you’ve described and the intolerable continuation of the situation in Gaza, will the Government go further to take measures against Israel?” Mr Ballinger asked.
“Yes, yes we will,” the Foreign Secretary replied.
Mr Lammy defended the UK Government’s actions against Israel, citing the suspension of arms sales to the country and sanctions against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
He also highlighted the UK’s support for the Palestinian Authority and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with its prime minister Mohammad Mustafa.
“I am very, very comfortable that you would be hard pressed to find another G7 partner that’s doing more than this country has done,” he added.
Mr Lammy told the meeting Britain would oppose plans reportedly set out by by Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz to move Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of the city of Rafah.
Labour MP Uma Kumaran said of the reported plan: “They’re calling it a so-called humanitarian transit area but there’s no schools there, there’s no medical provisions there, there are no other facilities, and there are plans for forced screening.
“Katz wants international partners to be involved in that. Will Britain oppose this and can you guarantee us in this committee that no British companies or NGOs will be involved in those plans?”
Mr Lammy said: “We’ve been very clear that we don’t support the aid foundation that has been set up, it’s not doing a good job, too many people are close to starvation, too many people have lost their lives.”
He added that his understanding was that there had been better conversations between the UN agency system and Israel over the last few days, saying: “So I’m surprised at the statements that I’ve seen from Mr Katz over the last 24 hours.
“And as I’ve indicated, they run contra to the proximity to a ceasefire that I thought we were heading towards, so I wonder if there’s some politicking going on for those within the government that for some reason stand opposed to this.”
Pressed on whether Britain would be opposing any such plans, he said: “Yes.”
At the meeting, Mr Lammy suggested Britain, France and Germany could snap back sanctions on Iran unless the country gets “serious” about stepping back from its nuclear ambitions.
The Foreign Secretary said: “Iran faces even more pressure in the coming weeks because the E3 can snap back on our sanctions, and it’s not just our sanctions, it’s actually a UN mechanism that would impose dramatic sanctions on Iran across nearly every single front in its economy.
“So they have a choice to make. It’s a choice for them to make.
“I’m very clear about the choice they should make, but I’m also clear that the UK has a decision to make that could lead to far greater pain for the Iranian regime unless they get serious about the international desire to see them step back from their nuclear ambitions at this time.”
