Britain’s top diplomat weighs in on Gaza war, rejecting claims that Israel’s war against the Hamas terror organization constitutes genocide – a major shift after the Starmer government previously said it would leave the question up to courts.
By World Israel News Staff
The British government has rejected claims that Israel’s war against the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip constitutes genocide, British media outlets reported Monday.
Last week, David Lammy – who prior to the September 5th reshuffling of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet served as British Foreign Secretary – penned a letter to the chair of Britain’s international development committee, Sarah Champion, explicitly rejecting accusations of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
This determination was made based on a comprehensive assessment conducted by the Foreign Office, Lammy wrote.
“As per the Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’,” Lammy wrote, according to a report by The Times.
“The government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”
Champion had pressed Lammy for guidance regarding Britain’s position on genocide accusations against Israel, in light of Britain’s manufacturing of parts for the American F-35 stealth fighter jets sold to Israel.
The letter marks the first time that the British government has openly rejected claims of genocide in Gaza, and is a reversal of London’s previous position.
Prior to the penning of the letter last week, the Starmer government had insisted that the question of whether the war in Gaza constituted genocide could only be answered by courts.
“It is the UK government’s long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, not for governments or non-judicial bodies,” under-secretary of state for the Middle East Hamish Falconer told Parliament in May.
Lammy himself made similar comments last year, after taking office as foreign secretary.
“This government is not an international court. We have not — and could not — arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law.”
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