The British, until now steadfast allies of Israel, abruptly shifted their tone over the past 48 hours, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continued to almost completely block the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. On Monday, May 19, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in firmly condemning the expansion of the war in Gaza and the “intolerable” human suffering of Palestinians left starving by the Israeli government, while threatening to take “concrete measures” if these restrictions are not lifted. On Tuesday, speaking from the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary David Lammy followed through on these warnings by announcing the suspension of free trade agreement negotiations with Israel.
The Starmer government also announced new sanctions against settlers in the West Bank, and Israel’s ambassador to London, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned by the Foreign Office. Lammy condemned the blockade as “morally unjustifiable” and “intolerable” and said it “must stop.” He also described the calls from far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet for “cleansing Gaza” as “extremism. It is dangerous, it is repellent, it is monstrous.” However, many British MPs, from across the political spectrum, criticized him for acting very late and not doing enough to save Palestinian children. Numerous Labour lawmakers accused Israel of “genocide” and called on their leader, Starmer, to impose a total suspension of British arms sales to Israel and to recognize Palestine.
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