British PM Rebukes His FM for Saying ‘Israel’ is Breaking Int’l Law!

By Staff, Agencies

British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, rebuked his foreign minister, David Lammy, after he twice accused "Israel" of committing war crimes before the British House of Commons, and forced him to clarify his position.

The foreign secretary surprised many in government when he explicitly accused "Israel" of committing war crimes twice during a Commons debate on Monday.

Lammy said that "Israel’s" two-week blockade of food, fuel and medicine to Gaza was a “breach of international law”, the first time a government minister has said so.

He was then challenged by Jeremy Corbyn to state unequivocally that "Israel" had broken international law rather than say Netanyahu “risked” committing war crimes in Gaza, as ministers have previously stated.

Corbyn had seemingly failed to grasp the significance of Lammy already making such a direct accusation during the debate.

In response to the former Labour leader, Lammy repeated once again: “I did say in my contribution that it is in breach of international humanitarian law.”

It is understood that Lammy could correct his words in parliament as soon as Wednesday. Government sources deny that the foreign secretary was trying to force through a tougher approach to "Israel".

However, Lammy appeared to double down on his central statement without repeating his previous words in an interview on Tuesday, telling Bloomberg that “it’s difficult to see how denying humanitarian assistance to a civilian population can be compatible with international humanitarian law”. He did admit that he “could have been clearer” when asked if he regretted the statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer offered a clear rebuke of Lammy’s remarks in an attempt to defuse a diplomatic row with "Israel".

The prime minister’s official spokesman said, “Our position remains that 'Israel’s' actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law, and we continue to call 'Israel' to abide by its international obligations.”

“The government is not an international court and therefore it is up to courts to make judgments," he stressed.

Asked if the foreign secretary had mistakenly overstated government policy, the spokesman said: “I’d refer to the Foreign Office on that, but there’s no change in policy here.”

Meanwhile, the chief executive of Oxfam, Halima Begum, condemned the government for retracting its claim, “Today of all days, when 'Israel' has resumed its illegal bombing campaign and forced displacement orders on Palestinians in Gaza, for the government to row back on the foreign secretary’s words is nothing short of appalling,” she said.

“The UK government must condemn these crimes in the strongest terms immediately and stop its complicity in this catastrophic crisis," She added.