UK must end complicity in indefensible Israeli war crimes
The UK government must stop enabling the indefensible and halt all arms sales and military support for Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza, say the Scottish Greens.
Last night Israeli forces bombed a refugee camp in Rafah, killing dozens of people, including children, and wounding many more. The camp was in a designated ‘safe zone.’
UK arms export criteria says a weapon can not be sold if there is a "clear risk" that it "might" be used in a serious breach of International Humanitarian Law.
UK government statistics, compiled by Campaign Against Arms Trade, show that in the last 10 years, the UK has licensed at least £500 million worth of arms to Israel.
Scottish Green co-leader, Patrick Harvie MSP, said: “The bombing of a refugee camp can absolutely never be justified. It was a massacre, played out in real time for the world to see.
“The fact that Israeli forces immediately tried to justify it, and the fact it was done within 24 hours of the International Court of Justice ordering a halt to attacks on Rafah, shows the total contempt that Israeli forces have for human rights and international law.
“It is beyond shameful that the UK government has continued to arm, support and defend the indefensible. Labour has been little better and even now, despite the genocidal attacks we have all seen, Keir Starmer and his front bench colleagues refuse to support an arms embargo.
“The law could not be clearer and nor could the suffering. If the current UK Government will not act, we must demand an urgent change of direction from the new one - the arms sales must stop, the ICC’s ruling must be enforced, and the State of Palestine must be given full recognition immediately.
“People around the world are horrified by the killing that is taking place. Nobody should have to spend their last moments displaced by war in a refugee camp and being bombed by one of the most powerful militaries in the world.
“The history books will remember who stood in solidarity with Palestinians and who stood by, watched and made excuses for some of the worst war crimes of the 21st century.
“Those who have armed and supported the war cannot deny the atrocities taking place. They deserve to face justice for their roles in enabling the destruction. How many more children will be killed before Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer finally end their complicity?”