The UK government is violating international law by continuing to supply arms to Israel, according to a number of notable individuals. These individuals, which include more than 600 professionals such as attorneys, academics, and formerly high-ranking judges, include three previous justices of the UK Supreme Court including its former president, Lady Hale.
A detailed 17-page letter detailing their legal opinion was dispatched to the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, on Wednesday evening. They expressed concern about the ongoing grave situation in Gaza and highlighted the International Court of Justice’s assessment that there’s a potential risk of genocide. They stressed that the UK has a legal responsibility to act to avert this.
The letter criticised the UK government’s simultaneous demands for fighting to cease and humanitarian aid access to Gaza, while continuing to trade weapons and weapon systems with Israel. It also attacked threats to suspend UK aid to Unwra, suggesting this fell well short of the UK’s international legal obligations.
The urgent appeal came in the wake of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza which led to the demise of seven international aid workers, inclusive of three UK citizens. Consequently, there has been growing pressure from Conservative MPs on Sunak to react. It’s speculated that Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has advocated for a tougher stance against Israel but his efforts seemed to have been thwarted by Downing Street’s resistance.
Calls are being made to halt arms exports to Israel from three Conservative parliament members and a former minister currently in the Lords. This aligns with British public sentiment, as a recent YouGov poll indicates that the majority of voters, 56% to 17%, support the banning of arms exports to Israel.
The key aim, as outlined in the letter, is for the UK government to strive towards a durable cease-fire and impose sanctions on individuals and entities inciting genocide against Palestinians. To facilitate the effective distribution of necessities to the Palestinians in Gaza, and hence prevent genocide, they argue that it is crucial to restore funding to Unwra. The funding was withdrawn following unproven accusations from Israel that 12 UN agency staff were connected to the attacks on October 7th.
The report illustrates the ICJ’s conclusion on the potential risk of genocide in Gaza, emphasising that the UK government has been alerted that weapons could potentially further this and thus warrant the halting of their supply as this is likely to prevent or deter such acts. This action was advocated by Conservative MPs David Jones, Paul Bristow, Flick Drummond, and Tory peer Hugo Swire, inspired by the views of Peter Ricketts, a former government national security advisor under David Cameron’s chancellorship and a current member of the Lords.
Notable about the letter is not only the quantity of those supporting it, but it also bears the signatures of high-ranking retired judges who usually refrain from expressing their views on political matters publicly. Prominent supporters include ex-supreme court justices Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson, prior Lord Justices of Appeal Sir Stephen Sedley, Sir Alan Moses, Sir Anthony Hooper, and Sir Richard Aikens, including the former chair of the Bar of England and Wales, Matthias Kelly KC.
The letter recommends that the UK should immediately enact measures to legally halt actions that increase the risk of genocide. It highlights that the breach of the UK’s responsibilities under the genocide convention to prevent genocide, within its capabilities, would hold the UK accountable for committing a global wrong requiring full redress.
The letter recognises considerable changes concerning the Gaza circumstances, which include orders made by the ICJ and the deteriorating situation in Gaza. Specifically, these changes entail the loss of at least 32,623 Palestinians due to the Israeli incursion, an impending famine due to Israeli aid blockade, damage to health facilities, medical workers and humanitarian workers deaths, and allegations of torture and inhumane treatment.
Simultaneously, the letter urges the UK government to persist with efforts to secure the liberation of Israeli hostages captured during the October 7th assaults carried out by Hamas and other insurgent groups that resulted in roughly 1,200 fatalities in Israel.
Regarding this matter, the UK government has denied making its legal advice public; however, a leaked audio implies that their lawyers have given guidance that Israel has violated international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Mr Sunak informed the Sun, on a Wednesday evening, that stringent scrutiny was applied to weapon permits, adhering to the protocols and regulatory measures that are always observed. – Guardian