UK steps up action against Israel over Gaza offensive
The UK has suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the country's ambassador and imposed fresh sanctions on West Bank settlers, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the military escalation in Gaza "morally unjustifiable".
The move follows warnings of starvation in Gaza after Israel launched a new military operation over the weekend.
There were fiery exchanges in Parliament with Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel, who suggested the actions would be welcomed by Hamas, but also angry calls for the government to go further.
In response, Israel's foreign spokesman said external pressure would "not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence"
. . .Later on Tuesday, the UN confirmed that, although permission had now been given to send about 100 aid trucks into Gaza, no aid had yet been distributed.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the current situation "intolerable", saying "humanitarian aid needs to get in at pace".
In the House of Commons, there were shouts of "shame" from MPs as Lammy set out how an Israeli minister had said their latest operations would be "cleansing Gaza", "destroying what's left" and relocating Palestinians "to third countries".
"We must call this what it is," he told MPs. "It is extremism, it is dangerous, it is repellent, it is monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms."
Lammy said Israel had suffered "a heinous attack" on 7 October 2023 and the UK had always backed the country's right to defend itself.
However, the foreign secretary said the Israeli government had set out on a "morally unjustifiable" and "utterly counterproductive" path that would not bring hostages safely home.
Instead, he accused the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu of "isolating Israel from its friends and partners around the world", as he announced negotiations on a free trade deal had been suspended.
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