MORE than 60 MPs and lords from seven parties wrote to the Foreign Secretary yesterday calling on him to implement comprehensive sanctions over Israel’s repeated violations of international law.
The letter, organised by MPs Richard Burgon and Imran Hussain, follows a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s top court, which labelled Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestine unlawful and demanded it end as rapidly as possible.
The court has called on all states not to provide aid or assistance to Israel or enter into economic or trade dealings that maintain this illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The letter follows a separate ICJ decision last week to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
In their letter, the lawmakers said the ICJ ruling places clear obligations on Britain “to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Territories” and “to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the Occupied Territories which may entrench its unlawful presence there.”
Leeds East MP Mr Burgon said: “The world’s top court has found that Israel is acting illegally. But the Israeli government continues to treat international law with utter contempt.
“We cannot allow Israel to tear up the rule book of international law and simply go unpunished. Words alone from our government are simply not enough.”
Bradford East MP Mr Hussain said: “By imposing widespread sanctions on Israel as the ICJ ruling demands, our government would be taking a stance in defence of the international rules-based order and making clear that Israel will no longer get away with trampling all over international law.”
The letter came a day after the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The 60-day truce was brokered by the United States and France and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border.
Many observers have questioned how far the US has been an honest broker in the talks, given it is the main supplier of weapons to Israel.
Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and United Nations peacekeepers would deploy in the south, while an international panel would monitor compliance.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has failed to bring a full halt to weapons exports supporting Israel’s offensive, claimed Britain and its allies would “continue to be at the forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East.”
In the House of Commons, Scottish National Party foreign affairs spokesman Brendan O’Hara told Sir Keir: “Now that arrest warrants have been issued for his allies, Netanyahu and Gallant, the Prime Minister’s determination to supply Israel with the weapons it requires to carry out its atrocities in Gaza, which has always been morally repugnant, is now completely untenable.”
Mr Starmer said he continued to back “the sale of capability to Israel to defend itself against attacks such as those from Iran and I am very clear that we will continue to do so.”
Lebanese journalist Rania Khalek welcomed the ceasefire in her homeland.
But, she said “a war of narratives” had now begun.
“Each side will claim victory, but it seems much more difficult for Israel to do so because they did not achieve the military objectives they set,” she said.
Ms Khalek added that as the dust settles “I think this will be seen as yet another Israeli defeat.”
Tricontinental Centre for Social Research director Vijay Prashad said: “Any ceasefire is 100 per cent welcome. But this does not change the balance of forces.”
He argued there can be no real ceasefire alongside zionism and called for “justice for the survivors and victims of the genocide, an end to the occupation and an end to the apartheid system.”
Action Against Hunger’s country director in Lebanon Suzanne Takkenberg welcomed the ceasefire as “a vital opportunity to save lives and provide more urgent humanitarian relief.”
She urged “the international community to closely monitor compliance and support initiatives fostering stability in the region.”
Meanwhile the fighting in Gaza continues.
The Israeli military said it was continuing to strike dozens of targets in the already devastated northern Gaza.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 33 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the official death toll in the nearly 14-month-long war to 44,282 – although the total is likely far higher.
Hamas says it’s ready to co-operate with any effort to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and welcomed the Lebanon truce.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen: “Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices.”
Israel has refused to commit to ending the war under any ceasefire deal and has baulked over freeing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the roughly 100 hostages still held by militants in Gaza.
Some Palestinians fear Israel will now become even more heavy handed with Gaza now forces have been freed up from the fighting against Hezbollah.
“The situation will be worse, because the pressure will be more on Gaza,” said Mamdouh Yonis, a man currently living in Khan Younis after being displaced from the southern city of Rafah.
Ben Jamal from Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: “PSC welcomes the ceasefire in Lebanon which, at least temporarily, ends Israel’s horrific slaughter of civilians in the country.
“However, the deep concern is that Israel aims to use this ceasefire to continue and intensify its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Indeed, Benjamin Netanyahu has been explicit about this aim.
“The focus of the international community must be on forcing Israel to end its attacks on Gaza and occupation of Palestinian land, which is the root cause of the violence.”
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens by the day.
The UN body for Palestinian refugees UNRWA warned on social media site X yesterday that: “Hunger in Gaza is at critical levels, with people scavenging through weeks-old waste for scraps of food.
“As winter approaches, conditions are rapidly deteriorating, and survival is impossible without immediate humanitarian aid.”
