Does the UK’s foreign secretary understand his international law obligations?
Does the UK’s foreign secretary understand his international law obligations? You may decide he doesn’t, after reading what follows.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn – who knows a few things about campaigning for peace in foreign countries – has joined with like-minded Independents to remind foreign secretary David Lammy [pictured, with an alleged terrorist] of his obligations, under international law – regarding Israel.
Their letter was delivered while Lammy was visiting Israel and Palestine in his role as foreign secretary.
It makes 11 demands:
- Immediately suspend all provision of weapons and weapons systems to the government of Israel
- Immediately restore and increase UK funding to UNRWA, and take all necessary steps to ensure the safe access and delivery of essential supplies and medical aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza
- Issue a public statement supporting the implementation of measures as advised by the International Court of Justice
- Drop any legal challenge over the International Criminal Court’s right to seek an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes
- Issue a public statement to announce the cessation of the challenge to the International Criminal Court, conserning the arrest warrant for prime minister Netanyahu
- Utilise the United Kingdom’s position as a permanent member state on the United Nations Security Council to advocate for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire
- Facilitate and engage in exhausting all diplomatic efforts to secure the prompt release of all hostages
- Advocate for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to Gaza, upon reaching a ceasefire agreement
- Impose sanctions on individuals and entities inciting genocide against Palestinians
- Suspend the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations and negotiations towards an expanded trade agreement, and consider the possibility of imposing sanctions
- Recognise the State of Palestine with immediate effect.
In fairness, Lammy – and the Labour government of which he is a member – has promised to carry out some of these actions:
- He wants a ceasefire.
- He wants all Israeli hostages released.
- He wants the flow of aid into Gaza to be increased.
- He has promised to “look at the assessment and the legal considerations” involved in the possibility of limiting or stopping weapon sales to Israel.
- He said he would make a statement about the future of UK funding to the UNRWA – the UN’s main agency providing aid in Gaza – in the coming days,
- And the Labour government has promised to recognise the state of Palestine, although no date has been put on this.
He hasn’t said anything about the actions of the ICC and ICJ at The Hague, which have been challenged by UK government lawyers – or about a UN peacekeeping force, sanctions, or trade.
It would be nice to think Lammy was just waiting until he gets back home to signal the end of the UK’s legal challenges, along with all the other measures.
But it would also be naive. This is another issue to watch with an eye for detail.
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Isn’t there already precedent on this? I mean in regard to issuing warrants to non-signatory countries. I’m thinking of warrants issued on Putin and others over the Ukraine War. Further warrants were, IIRC, issued recently. This being the case there’s no way to object?
In fact I have checked and found that Ukraine is not a signatory either but has voluntarily accepted their judgements.
Of course I understand this has nothing to do with the law, with what’s morally right or even what the public thinks. A small group of powerful people want, for reasons best known to themselves, to allow genocide to continue.
Indefensible..