Dear Foreign Secretary,
It is with great urgency and concern that I am writing to you regarding the Israeli Defence Minister’s announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah without allowing them to leave.
Though the announcement was made under the guise of a “humanitarian city”, the world has witnessed daily what that means in practice for starving civilians queuing for aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation locations. Namely, violence and killing. The Defence Minister’s plans have been described by a leading Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard, as “an operational plan for crimes against humanity. It’s about population transfer to the southern tip of Gaza in preparation for deportation outside the strip.” Though an accurate description, I believe there is a clearer one. The ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
The UK and international community cannot allow this to come to pass without taking concrete action to prevent it. We have all welcomed the strong action taken by this Government since it came to office last year, which would have been impossible under a Conservative government – including calling for a ceasefire, refunding UNRWA, suspending arms licenses, sanctioning Israeli ministers, and much more.
But the desperation and seriousness of the situation requires us to go further. We cannot leave actions in our back pocket while the situation facing Palestinian civilians reaches critical and existential levels. With the State Visit of the French President, it is clear that there is a willingness from one of our closest European allies to go further. We should urgently invest in collaborative work to push forward again – as you have with other like-minded partners. This should include:
- Recognition of the State of Palestine. By not recognising it as a state, we undermine our own policy of a Two State Solution and set an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory.
- Continuing support for UNRWA. It is uniquely placed to provide support and services to Palestinians across the Middle East. Put simply, the region would teeter into further instability and chaos without them. It is vital the UK leads international efforts to secure international funding for their work, particularly to cover the significant gaps left from other withdrawals of funding.
- Securing the release of hostages. It is unfathomable that Hamas continues to cruelly detain hostages taken in October 2023. They have been subject to cruelty, appalling conditions, and unimaginable torment. They must be released immediately and unconditionally.
- Securing the release of those held without trial. While the exact numbers are unknown, Amnesty International have reported that over 4,000 Palestinians are held without charge or trial either under administrative detention or based on the Unlawful Combatants’ Law, which they say violates international law. Unlawfully held people must be released on both sides.
- Pressing for the full and unhindered resumption of humanitarian aid. Every sinew must be strained to ensure that aid gets in and adequately distributed to alleviate the immense suffering in Gaza after months of blockade. It is unconscionable to see routes to aid declared “combat zones”, with hundreds of Palestinians killed while trying to access that aid. We have heard doctors report malnutrition now being common among children in Gaza. Should aid continue to be blocked, further accountability measures are essential.
- Fully review and place restrictions on trade with and financial support of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. For over a decade, LFPME has called for effective differentiation between green line Israel and its settlements in the West Bank. This includes a targeted restriction on settlement goods entering the UK and trade with illegal settlements. We would also press you to publish the Government’s response to the ICJ ruling on the occupation.
- End all arms sales. It is welcome that the Government suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel for use in Gaza, over International Humanitarian Law concerns. However, it has been reported that UK firms have exported thousands of military items, including munitions, to Israel despite those suspensions. There is also the ongoing question of whether the UK has continued to sell F-35 parts indirectly to Israel as part of the global supply chain, in potential breach of the arms export suspensions.
I appreciate that the UK government has taken a number of significant steps we would not have seen under any other government. But every day we inch closer to the point of no return for Palestine as we know it and Palestinian citizens who have known nothing but occupation, war, and destruction.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.