British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a reception after the summit of the United Kingdom-EU in London on Monday.
Hannah McKay / Reuters Pool via AP
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Hannah McKay / Reuters Pool via AP
London-The United Kingdom suspended the free trade talks with Israel on Tuesday and hit the settlers from the West Bank with sanctions, less than a day after walking “concrete actions” if Israel has not stopped its new military offensive in Gaza.
The pressure of the nearby allies rises on Israel following a blockade of supplies of almost three months in Gaza which led to famine warnings. Even the United States, a closed ally, has expressed concerns about the hunger crisis.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the government could not continue the talks on the upgrading of its existing trade agreement with an Israeli government which continued what it called blatant policies in Gaza and the West Bank occupied by Israeli.
“History will judge them,” said Lammy. “Block help. Expand war. Rejecting the concerns of your friends and partners. It is indefensible. And that must stop.”
Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the Minister of the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, said that he would call 11-week aid blocking in Gaza “cruel and indefensible”.
In addition, the head of the European Union foreign policy Kaja Kallas said that the block examined an EU pact governing trade links with Israel on his conduct of war in Gaza. She said that “a huge majority of” member countries “are very eager to send this message that the suffering of these people is untenable”. It did not provide clear details on the calendar and examination mechanisms.
‘Totally intolerable’
Lammy said the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on another “three individuals, two illegal settlers and two organizations supporting violence against the Palestinian community”.
He said that the illegal Israeli colonies spread in the West Bank “with the explicit support of this Israeli government”.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Oren Marmorstein, called the sanctions against the settlers of the “unjustified and regrettable” West Bank and declared that the negotiations of the free trade agreements were not advanced by the United Kingdom.
While Lammy’s words were welcomed by some to the House of Commons, others called for a stronger action, suggesting economic sanctions against Israel and recognizing the state of Palestine.
A handful of members shouted for him to call the actions of Israel “genocide”, although Lammy called him “extremism” and “monstrous”.
Still others criticized the joint declaration, saying that it favored Hamas.
“Opposing the expansion of a war that killed thousands of children does not reward Hamas,” said Lammy.
The United Kingdom’s announcement followed the comments of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called children’s suffering in “completely intolerable” Gaza and repeated his call to a cease-fire.
“I want to record today that we are horrified by the escalation of Israel,” said Starmer.
Starmer calls the ceasefire
On Monday, Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to publish one of the most important criticisms by allies close to Israeli War Management in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank.
The three leaders threatened to take “concrete actions” if the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ceased to renew the military offensive and considerably raised restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Netanyahu described the declaration “a huge price” for Hamas.
Starmer said that a ceasefire was the only way to release the dozens of hostages that Hamas still has. He also called for an increase in humanitarian aid expeditions to Gaza, saying that the fundamental quantity authorized by Israel is “completely inadequate”.
“This war has been going on for too long,” said Starmer. “We cannot allow the inhabitants of Gaza to die of hunger.”
While Israel granted a few first trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to start driving in Gaza on Monday, the UN humanitarian leader Tom Fletcher described him as a “drop in the ocean of what is urgent”. Israel said dozens of additional trucks had entered Tuesday.
Tensions between France and Israel
Israel first received broad international support to eliminate Hamas activists following the group’s surprise attack which killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians on October 7, 2023, and took 251 captives.
But patience with Israel is thin after more than 53,000 Palestinian deaths, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not make the difference between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel’s latest attack has killed more than 300 people in recent days, local health officials said.
In recent weeks, Macron has intensified diplomatic efforts to exert pressure on Israel, urging a ceasefire and calling for the lifting of the humanitarian aid blockade.
Last month, Macron said that France should improve towards the recognition of a Palestinian state, perhaps in June when France and Saudi Arabia co-animation an international conference on the implementation of a two-state solution.
Macron, who said that the recognition of Palestine is not a “taboo” for France, suggested that the revision of the EU cooperation agreements with Israel is on the table.
Tensions between France and Israel increased after Macron called for arresting arms deliveries to use in Gaza in a radio interview in October, which caused Netanyahu’s criticism. France has also sought to impose a ban on Israeli defense companies to prevent them from showing weapons at the Euronaval Trade exhibition.
Colony violence
The United States, France, the EU, the United Kingdom and Canada have already struck Israeli settlers and groups of settlers with sanctions for their involvement in violence against Palestinians and illegal development in the West Bank.
The measures expose people and groups sanctioned to asset gels and travel and visa prohibitions. The Associated Press previously reported that these measures had had a minimal impact as a deterrent.
The attacks of the colonists causing injuries or death to the Palestinians have increased since the attack on Hamas in 2023. Israel said that it opposes the violence of the colonists and the blame on an extremist fringe.
Palestinians say that the Israeli army is not doing much to protect them and that attacks are part of a systematic attempt to expel them from their land.
