David Cameron ramps up Israel criticism
In contrast to dozens of British politicians in the governing Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party, Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron argued that his country’s support for Israel is “not unconditional”.
Cameron, who despite not being a sitting MP was appointed Foreign Secretary by Rishi Sunak in November 2023, made the remarks on April 7 in a column for the Sunday version of the Rupert Murdoch-owned The Times newspaper.
Shortly before the start of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel for alleged genocide in January, Mr Cameron was asked if he was worried that Israel might be committing war crimes in Gaza. The ex-Prime Minister responded, “Of course I’m worried” but backtracked days later in a Sky News interview, claiming that South Africa’s case against Israel was “unhelpful” and that Israel had a “right to defend itself”.
However the bloodshed in the besieged Gaza Strip rages on and the Foreign Secretary has become ever more critical of Israel over recent weeks, more so than the vast majority of his Conservative colleagues.
A key turning point for the British public and political figures has also been the killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) staffers, three of whom were British nationals, on April 1.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the strikes were “not deliberate” despite the fact that three seperate strikes hit three vehicles bearing large World Central Kitchen logos on them whilst on an Israeli approved road in Gaza.
In his Sunday column titled “We have humanitarian laws. Israel must abide by them”, Cameron said that he had hardened his stance on Israel – which very similarly to the United States is Britain’s biggest ally in the Middle East – over recent months and said that there was a high risk of mass starvation in Gaza due to Israel not letting enough aid into the war-torn enclave.
Studies have found that 1 in 4 Gazan residents are currently enduring famine-like conditions. Al Jazeera reported late last month that 27 people, 23 of whom were children, died as a result of starvation as human rights groups, health workers, aid organisations as well as the UN have all accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
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Lord Cameron also said, “We expect such a proud and successful democracy (referring to Israel) to abide by international humanitarian law, even when challenged.
“We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists but the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brave British heroes who were bringing food to those in need.”
The UK government is being pressured to halt arms sales to Middle Eastern state as well as being urged to publish the legal advice they have received with regards to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Recently, a letter addressed to Cameron and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch called on the government to slap an arms embargo on the country. The letter was written by Labour MP Zarah Sultana and was signed by 135 lawmakers and members of the House of Lords from all major parties.
Shortly after, three former Supreme Court justices (including the court’s former president Brenda Hale) were among 600 legal experts to sign a letter which argued that the UK continuing to transfer weapons to Israel could make them complicit in war crimes.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said that the government did not plan to publish legal advice with regards to Israel’s conduct but denied it was giving the country “carte blanche”.
He said, “Of course, Israel has made mistakes and made big mistakes, and we should hold them to account for that.
“It’s right that we hold Israel to high standards, but I just think there’s a bit of relish from some people about the way in which they are pushing this case against Israel.”
As of April 8, around 33,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
The Sunday Times/ Reuters
