with AP
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The UK government has said it is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and has introduced new sanctions on settlements in the West Bank as it ramps up its criticism of the ongoing operation in Gaza.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK’s existing trade agreement with Israel remains in effect but the government can’t continue discussions with an administration pursuing what he said were “egregious” policies in the two territories.
Lammy said the persistent cycle of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank demanded action.
“The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions,” Lammy said.
“Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.”
The announcement came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the level of suffering by children in Gaza was “utterly intolerable” and repeated his call for a ceasefire.
“I want to put on record today that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel,” Starmer told the British Parliament in London.
His brief remarks followed a joint condemnation he issued on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that marked one of the most significant criticisms by close allies of Israel’s handling of the war 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 did not cease its renewed military offensive and significantly lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Netanyahu slammed the statement as “a huge prize” for Hamas militants.
Starmer repeated the trio’s demand for a ceasefire, saying it was the only way to free the hostages Hamas still holds.
He also called for increased shipments of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying the basic quantity allowed by Israel is “utterly inadequate”.
“We must coordinate our response, because this war has gone on for far too long,” Starmer said. “We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.”
International pressure has been building on Israel following a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza that prompted famine warnings among aid groups.
Even the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has voiced concerns over the growing hunger crisis.
While Israel allowed trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to begin rolling into Gaza on Monday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described the volume of aid as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”
In recent weeks, Macron intensified diplomatic efforts to put pressure on Israel, urging a ceasefire and calling for the lifting of the blockade of humanitarian aid.
Last month, Macron said France should move toward recognising a Palestinian state, possibly in June when France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting an international conference about implementing a two-state solution.
The comments came after a visit to Egypt during which he met with injured Palestinians at El Arish hospital.
Macron, who has said that recognition of Palestine is not a “taboo” for France, suggested last week that revisiting the EU’s cooperation agreements with Israel is also on the table.
