THE government ignored “overwhelming evidence” that Israel was breaching international human rights laws in Palestine and continued to supply the murderous regime with weapons, including those being used in Gaza, legal documents have revealed.
A Foreign Office assessment unit reviewing UK arms sales to Israel in November raised “serious concerns” with Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
But the former PM recommended that arms sales continue, accepting Israel’s reasoning that it has a different interpretation of its international humanitarian law obligations.
The revelations are contained in a document in a case brought by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian human rights group Al Haq over UK arms sales to Israel.
Labour MP for Coventry South Zarah Sultana, who is bringing a private member’s Bill to suspend arms sales to Israel, said: “It’s utterly outrageous that the government made the active decision to continue arming Israel despite the overwhelming evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
“The government must now end its complicity in this atrocity and immediately suspend arms sales to Israel.”
Campaign Against Arms Trade’s Emily Apple said: “There is a genocide happening in Gaza.
“Hospitals have been destroyed, refugee camps bombed, thousands have died, thousands more have been displaced and are facing famine because the Israeli government is refusing to allow aid into the area.
“Our government, and the UK arms trade, are complicit in these war crimes, and the deaths of thousands of Palestinian children.”
The revelations came as tens of thousands of Palestine supporters prepared to rally across the UK this weekend to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
With the Palestinian death toll approaching 25,000, they will demand an end to Israel’s slaughter of innocent children, women and men.
Protests are expected in at least 40 towns and cities across the UK from Birmingham to Brighton, Newcastle to Nottingham, Sheffield to Southampton and several areas of London.
Chris Nineham, Stop the War Campaign vice-chair, said: “Our national pro-Palestinian marches have seen hundreds of thousands on the streets of London.
“But this campaign is not just about national marches.
“The local and regional actions strengthen the national movement and it is really important that they keep happening, that our voices are heard not just in Parliament and Downing Street, but in our town and city halls, in town squares, and by our local elected representatives.”
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
