UK rows back on Lammy saying Israel is breaking international law
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaking in Parliament on 2 September 2024
Imran Mulla reports in Middle East Eye on 18 March 2025:
Number 10 Downing Street has rowed back on Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s accusation on Monday that Israel was breaking international humanitarian law. This comes just hours after Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told Sky News this morning that Lammy had been speaking for the government.
Asked about the blockade and its consequences in parliament on Monday, Lammy said: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid – it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.”
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson said on Tuesday afternoon that the UK government position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “at clear risk” of a breach. Meanwhile McFadden ruled out imposing a full arms embargo on Israel after it killed more than 300 Palestinians without warning on Tuesday morning, unilaterally ending its ceasefire with Hamas.
Tuesday’s attack, which targeted Palestinians displaced by the conflict, was one of the bloodiest bombardments of the Gaza Strip since the war began.
Speaking to Times Radio, McFadden said: “We don’t impose an arms embargo. We have arms trade with Israel, and you know, that’s not going to result in an embargo.” “But we’ve said very publicly what we think of that idea of collective punishment. We don’t want to see that happening.”
‘We need to stop them starving children’
The Labour government had not accused Israel of breaking international law before this week, meaning that Lammy’s comments in parliament on Monday represented a significant shift in the UK’s position.