In a notable departure from earlier positions, the British government has formally clarified that it does not believe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, the Times reported on Monday.
The statement was issued in a letter from David Lammy during his final days as Foreign Secretary, just before he transitioned into his new posts as Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle, announced this past Friday.
Lammy’s correspondence, addressed to Sarah Champion, chair of the international development committee, was written in response to her call for transparency regarding the UK’s ongoing provision of parts for F-35 fighter jets employed by Israel.
According to Lammy, the Foreign Office had reviewed the matter and determined that Israel’s conduct does not meet the standard for genocide outlined in the Genocide Convention, which requires “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”
He wrote, “The government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”
This represents the first instance in which the UK has directly expressed its official stance on the subject. Until now, officials had consistently argued that judgments on genocide were the responsibility of appropriate courts rather than governments.
Back in May, Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer reaffirmed this position, stating: “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.”
Still, Lammy did not minimize the toll of the conflict, describing the consequences in Gaza as “utterly appalling” due to the large number of civilian deaths and the widespread devastation, the Times reported. He pressed Israel to “do much more to prevent and alleviate the suffering that this conflict is causing.”
In September, the UK froze 30 arms export licenses to Israel out of concern that British-produced weapons could be implicated in violations of international law. However, it did not include parts for the American-made F-35 fighter jets in that suspension, citing their importance to NATO’s collective defense framework and their role in global security.
{Matzav.com}
