‘We are long past the point of Israel merely risking violations of international law’ – Karla McLaren

Responding to the debate in parliament on Palestinian rights today, Karla McLaren, Amnesty International UK's Government Relations Manager, said:

“It’s true that humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool, but we are long past the point of Israel merely risking violations of international law.

“Israel's decision to block humanitarian aid to Gaza is a war crime and amounts to collective punishment of the civilian population. It's a continuation of the policy to impose on Palestinians conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction. This is genocide.

“The UK government must stop equivocating when it comes to the widespread breaches of international law Israel is clearly responsible for - this only serves to conceal the truth about the crimes of apartheid and genocide being inflicted daily on the Palestinian people.

"The UK has a legal obligation to prevent and punish genocide. At the minimum, it should immediately stop all transfers of arms to Israel and actively support international justice mechanisms. Not doing so risks UK government complicity in genocide and other grave violations of international humanitarian law.”