LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been asked by his Labour counterpart to break precedent and publish official advice given to the government on allegations of Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary, wrote in a letter to Cameron: “Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree of public and parliamentary interest and the risks to the credibility of the UK’s export controls regime, there is a compelling case to publish the government’s legal advice.”
Lammy added that UK export licenses for weapons should not be granted if “there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
He continued: “Israel remains publicly committed to a military offensive against Rafah despite the widespread concerns expressed by the international community about the catastrophic humanitarian risks this entails.
“This week, a UN-backed report revealed that a man-made famine in Gaza is imminent and that more than a million people will face catastrophic levels of hunger, despite food being piled up in trucks just a few kilometers away.
“It is essential that the (arms export) criteria are applied rigorously to Israel as to any other country.”
Lammy’s request comes as the Global Legal Action Network and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq were given permission for an oral hearing as they seek a judicial review of the continuation of arms exports to Israel, after the UK government refused to ban them.
On Dec. 12, UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said: “There is not at present a clear risk that items exported to the Israel Defense Forces might be used to commit a serious violation of IHL.”
Earlier this week, Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law is constantly being monitored.
He told Parliament that “everyone agrees that people are starving in Gaza,” but that there are “very serious doubts” about whether the term “deliberate starvation” is applicable.
The Guardian reported that an internal memo circulated in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office dated Nov. 10 said: “Without accurate information on real-time IDF decision-making we have been unable to make a case by case assessment on Israel’s compliance with IHL for specific strikes or ground operations during the current conflict in Gaza.”
The FCDO also determined that the UK government could not decide on individual allegations of Israeli international humanitarian law breaches compiled by Amnesty International, including strikes on hospitals and schools, without knowledge of Israeli military reasoning for each incident.
The FCDO also said: “There was no evidence that Israel’s military operations were intended to cause starvation.”
Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a lawyer with GLAN, told The Guardian: “When assessing whether Israel intended to starve Gazan civilians the UK ought to look at the statements of Israeli officials who stated they would do just that.
“But the intent of individual Israeli commanders is not the legal test, and the government knows this. Speaking about intent in the context of international humanitarian law is quite misleading.
“If a state fails to distinguish military and civilian objects, or to take reasonable precautions or to make a proper proportionality assessment, that amounts to a violation and it’s immaterial whether or not they intended to cause such harm. This is a text book case of the war crime of starvation of individuals as a method of warfare.”
Former Gaza resident Ahmed Abofoul, a legal officer at Al-Haq, told The Guardian: “The level of destruction removes any doubt around proportionality. Destroying 70 percent of Gaza’s residential units does not indicate any distinguishable targeting.
“The IDF spokesperson at the beginning of this genocide said the emphasis is on damage, not accuracy.
“What else does the British government need to understand that this is not about legitimate targets or distinguishing between civilians and Hamas? This is about making Gaza uninhabitable, and forcing civilians to leave their homes.”
Abofoul added: “History will not be kind to the UK government’s position because it’s not only a distorted interpretation of IHL that is causing massive loss of life, it’s also destroying the very notion of international law that has, to a certain extent, provided somewhat stability in the world.”
UK FM asked to publish legal advice on Israel’s actions in Gaza
https://arab.news/9kzyr
UK FM asked to publish legal advice on Israel’s actions in Gaza
- Shadow foreign secretary: Arms should not be exported if ‘clear risk’ they would be used to breach international law
- Two groups granted hearing on judicial review of British govt decision not to ban weapons sales to Israel
Trump on Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire deal: will know in 24 hours
- Israel has earlier agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours how Palestinian militant group Hamas would respond to a proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel has agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and warned Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
Trump announced the development as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House on Monday. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza.
Darfur civilians ‘face mass atrocities and ethnic violence’
- Medical charity warns of new threat from escalation in fighting in Sudan civil war
KHARTOUM: Civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan face mass atrocities and ethnic violence in the civil war between the regular army and its paramilitary rivals, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned on Thursday.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have sought to consolidate their power in Darfur since losing control of the capital Khartoum in March. Their predecessor, the Janjaweed militia, was accused of genocide in Darfur two decades ago.
The paramilitaries have intensified attacks on El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state which they have besieged since May 2024 in an effort to push the army out of its final stronghold in the region.
“People are not only caught in indiscriminate heavy fighting ... but also actively targeted by the Rapid Support Forces and their allies, notably on the basis of their ethnicity,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharite, Medecins Sans Frontieres’ head of emergencies. There were “threats of a full-blown assault,” on El-Fasher, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people largely cut off from food and water supplies and deprived of access to medical care, he said.
Egypt on alert as giant dam in Ethiopia completed
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia moved on Thursday to reassure Egypt about its water supply after completing work on a controversial giant $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile.
“To our neighbors downstream, our message is clear: the dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.
“The energy and development it will generate stand to uplift not just Ethiopia. We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water. Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.”
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is 1.8 km wide and 145 meters high, and is Africa's largest hydroelectric project. It can hold 74 billion cubic meters of water and generate more than 5,000 megawatts of power — more than double Ethiopia’s current output. It will begin full operations in September.
Egypt already suffers from severe water scarcity and sees the dam as an existential threat because the country relies on the Nile for 97 percent of its water. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Sudan’s leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met last week and “stressed their rejection of any unilateral measures in the Blue Nile basin.” They were committed to safeguarding water security in the region, Sisi’s spokesman said.
Explosive drone intercepted near Irbil airport in northern Iraq, security statement says
- The “Flight operations at the airport continued normally,” the Irbil airport authority said
IRBIL, Iraq: An explosive drone was shot down near Irbil airport in northern Iraq on Thursday, the Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service said in a statement.
There were no casualties reported, according to two security sources.
The “Flight operations at the airport continued normally and the airport was not affected by any damage,” the Irbil airport authority said in a statement.
The incident only caused a temporary delay in the landing of one aircraft, the statement added.
Jordanian and Vatican officials discuss promotion of Petra as destination for Christian pilgrims
- They say there is a strategic opportunity to integrate the UNESCO World Heritage Site into routes for Christian travelers
- Head of tourism authority says highlighting Petra’s significance to Christian heritage itineraries could enhance Jordan’s position on global religious tourism map
LONDON: Officials from Jordan and the Vatican met on Thursday to discuss ways in which they can cooperate to advance religious tourism, including the promotion of the ancient city of Petra as a destination for Christian pilgrims.
Fares Braizat, who chairs the board of commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority, said that highlighting the significance of the UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of Christian heritage itineraries could enhance Jordan’s position on the global religious tourism map.
The country has a number of important Christian sites, the most significant of which is the location on the eastern bank of the Jordan River where Jesus is said to have been baptized by John the Baptist. Several popes have visited it, including Francis and John Paul II.
Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, the Vatican’s ambassador to Jordan, confirmed the interest in collaborating with Jordanian authorities, and praised the nation’s stability and its rich historical and religious heritage.
Both officials acknowledged the strategic opportunity that exists to integrate Petra into pilgrimage routes for Christian travelers, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The Petra tourism authority recently lit up the Colosseum in Rome with the signature colors of the historic Jordanian site to celebrate a twinning agreement as part of a marketing strategy to attract European visitors, and to raise Petra’s profile globally as a premier cultural and spiritual tourism destination.
The Vatican itself is also a major tourism destination, for Christian pilgrims in particular. In 2025 it is expected to welcome between 30 and 35 million visitors during its latest Jubilee Year, a significant ecclesiastical event that takes place every 25 years.
