ANTI-WAR campaigners have hit out at the government’s continued refusal to publish legal advice on whether the offensive in Gaza has broken international humanitarian rules.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride insisted today that Israel “abides by the rule of law.”
He said advice from government lawyers to ministers on the situation will remain confidential but stressed that Britain’s support for Israel is not “unconditional.”
The government has come under increased pressure from campaigners to suspend arms sales to Israel and pressure from opposition parties and Tory backbenchers to publish its legal advice following an attack which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens.
Britain’s arms exports regime is supposed to prevent the supply of weapons to Israel if there is a “clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
Since 2008, Britain has granted arms export licences to Israel worth at least £574 million, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Mr Stride’s comments follow suggestions by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden on Sunday that Israel is being held to an “incredibly high standard” for its actions compared with other nations.
Stop the War Coalition (STW) convener Lindsey German told the Star: “The government dare not publish the legal advice because it is already complicit in Israel’s warmongering and ethnic cleansing.
“We have seen more than 33,000 dead, real famine stalking Gaza, and the criminal punishment of a whole civilian population.
“The very least the government can do is stop arming Israel and demand a ceasefire now.”
On Mr Dowden’s comment, Ms German said: “Anything else is to aid a genocide we are seeing in real time.
“Surely those standards should include protecting civilians, not blocking humanitarian aid, and a refusal to kill innocent aid workers and journalists.
“Israel is determined to destroy Gaza; the British government and [Labour leader Sir Keir] Starmer’s opposition must stop defending the indefensible.
“That means holding Israel to the standards of international law which it has breached day after day.
“It means supporting an end to occupation, the right of Palestinians to return, and freedom for Palestine.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are obviously aware of the interest in [publishing the advice] and we will always look to be transparent about our decisions on these matters, while respecting the long-standing convention that we don’t publish legal advice on these issues.”
