'Card you can only play once,' says Lammy on recognizing Palestine as independent state

LONDON 

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday described the Israeli shooting of civilians waiting for aid as “grotesque” and “sick,” calling for “accountability” from the Israeli side.

In a series of interviews with The Guardian, Lammy demanded “accountability” from the Israeli side as he voiced growing frustration over the humanitarian crisis.

“Things are desperate for people on the ground, desperate for the hostages in Gaza,” he said, adding that the world is “desperate for a ceasefire, for the suffering to come to an end.”

Speaking ahead of the government’s decision to move toward recognizing Palestine as an independent state, Lammy described that step as a “card you can only play once.”

The foreign secretary also said he “100%” wanted to travel to Gaza “as soon as I can get in.” When asked if he intended to go in person, on the ground, he replied: “Absolutely. 100%.”

Asked whether the Israel-Gaza war has affected him personally, Lammy responded: “Oh, there have been many days of deep frustration, deep sadness.”

When pressed on whether he had shed tears, he replied: “I haven’t shed tears because … I don’t know the last time I cried. It was a long time ago, probably when my mother died. But have there been moments in this last year where I’ve felt deep sadness? Yes.”

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians.

The relentless bombing, blockade and poor distribution of aid have destroyed the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to deaths by starvation.

Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have said Israel's conduct in Gaza constitutes genocide, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s health care system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.