UK says Israel's blockade of aid delivery into Gaza is 'horrendous'

LONDON

The British foreign secretary on Wednesday reiterated his concern regarding Israel's blockade of aid delivery, saying the need in the Gaza Strip is huge.

"The blockade that Israel is undertaking now of necessary aid into Gaza is horrendous. The suffering is dire. The need is huge. The loss of life is extreme," David Lammy told the International Relations and Defense committee session.

Reminding that along with Germany and France, they condemned the blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the foreign secretary said he was "clear" a few weeks ago in person to the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar about their obligations.

Also recalling that the UK decided to suspend arms export licenses to Israel after he took office, Lammy said there was a clear risk of a breach of international humanitarian law.

Although the UK suspended 30 of its 350 export licenses to Israel in September 2024, that decision notably excluded components related to the F-35 program.

The licenses halted included parts for drones, helicopters, and military aircraft systems. However, as Amnesty International and other rights groups have pointed out, Israel’s F-35 jets – many of them partially assembled using UK components – have played a central role in the bombardment of Gaza.

Lammy also reaffirmed the UK's commitment to international humanitarian law and continued support to organizations like the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

'Settler violence levels are shocking'

"I've always said the Palestinian cause is a just cause," he said, responding to a question about the recognition of Palestine.

"Recognition is not the end in of itself. Two states is the end in of itself, and we would prefer recognition as part of a process to that two states," he added.

Asked about Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, Lammy highlighted that settlement expansion at the moment is undermining the viability of a two-states solution, adding that settler violence levels are "shocking."

"In the last year, we've had 59 illegal outposts on the West Bank ... the average was seven over the last 25 years. So that is all undermining the prospects of two states."

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the resistance group Hamas.

Israel has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November 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.

'There are very real risks to regional and wider stability'

Turning to the rapidly escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Lammy said: "I recognize that this is a very sensitive situation, and there are real risks, very real risks to regional and wider stability at this time."

He said there are over 1 million British nationals and dependents across India and Pakistan, and the government is keeping their travel advice under constant review.

"Of course, I'll be reviewing our plans with ministerial colleagues in the coming days, but I want to say that this is a very different situation to evacuations in other crisis in recent history, the challenge of a significant escalation would be of a different order."

The already frosty relations between India and Pakistan were further strained after the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26.

New Delhi claimed that the “terror attack” had “cross-border” links, blaming Pakistan.

Islamabad, however, has distanced itself from the attack, expressing “concern” and offering to cooperate with an independent inquiry into the attack.

In an escalation of their tension, India suspended a decades-long water-sharing agreement, the Indus Waters Treaty, a move condemned by Islamabad. The two countries have also shut border crossings and further downgraded diplomatic ties.