BRITAIN came under increased pressure to stop arms sales to Israel today after the Western-backed state snubbed international calls for a 21-day temporary ceasefire and unleashed a “fresh wave of horror” across Lebanon.
Amnesty International UK warned Israel could be committing more war crimes as it raised “deep alarm” over the staggering death toll since it launched an intense series of air strikes that began earlier this week, displacing half a million people.
The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP were also among the peace campaigners calling for urgent action to prevent an all-out regional war in the Middle East.
Fifty-one people were killed in Israeli air strikes on Wednesday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says, with more than 90,000 people displaced across the country since Monday, according to the UN.
Amnesty International UK decried the latest onslaught on Lebanon, warning that using explosive weapons with “wide-area effects in the vicinity of densely populated residential areas is likely to violate the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks and can also lead to disproportionate attacks.”
Senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns Erika Guevara Rosas said: “As Israel continues to intensify and expand its bombardment, and Hezbollah continues to launch attacks into Israel, all parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law and take all feasible precautions to protect civilian lives.
“We urge all states to halt all arms transfers and other forms of military assistance to Israel and Hezbollah due to the significant risk that these weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.”
StWC said Britain’s decision to join the US, France and a host of allies in calling for the ceasefire, was “far too little, far too late, warning that the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah is “intolerable.”
In a joint statement, the 12-strong bloc urged a pause in fighting “to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement,” as well as a ceasefire in Gaza.
A StWC spokeswoman said: “This call for a temporary ceasefire is far too little, far too late and sends a message to Israel that it can go on killing hundreds of civilians with inpunity.
“Little wonder then that Israeli jets continued striking Lebanon after the call was made.
“The government must demand a permanent ceasefire and end all arms sales to Israel.”
Mr Corbyn said: “It is a disgrace that Israel has ignored urgent calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“We are on the brink of a regional war because Israel has been given the green light to act with total impunity. All arms sales must end, now.”
MP for Leeds East Richard Burgon, currently suspended from Labour after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, said: “Israeli leaders have today rejected a 21-day ceasefire plan in Lebanon from the UK and 11 other nations.
“Israel has repeatedly refused to back ceasefires in Gaza and now Lebanon.
“Our government needs to take action to get it to do so, starting by ending all arms sales to Israel.”
The Peace & Justice Project said that with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “outright rejecting” the US, British and French proposals for a ceasefire, “there should be in immediate suspension of all arms sales to Israel as part of a path to lasting peace in the Middle East.”
The group also called for “an end to the escalating situation in Lebanon and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the situation in the Middle East is cause for the “deepest concern” as he called for a binding ceasefire in the region.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addressed the UN security council on Wednesday with a plea for an end to the violence in both Lebanon and Gaza.
