PM must oppose any plan to forcefully displace Palestinians

Negotiations about Ukraine must prioritise justice for all crimes under international law committed since Russia’s military intervention

‘Both the war crimes in Ukraine and ongoing genocide in Gaza must end without sacrificing people’s rights or compromising the protection guaranteed under international law’ - Sacha Deshmukh

Ahead of Prime Minister Starmer’s meeting with President Trump on Thursday 27 February, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said: 

“This meeting is a vital opportunity for the Prime Minister to unequivocally stand on the side of international law and human rights and oppose the ruinous logic of ‘might is right’.

“The Prime Minister has rightly made clear the UK’s support for the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Criminal Court in recent months, and he must make clear to President Trump that these commitments form part of a wider, unequivocal UK commitment to international law.

“Mr Trump’s advocacy for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is outrageous and Mr Starmer must make it abundantly clear that such an act is illegal, and that the UK will take action, regardless of US objections, to prevent Israel’s genocidal acts against Palestinians.

“Justifying or enabling occupation and annexation, whether of Palestinian or Ukrainian land must be clearly and forcefully opposed with consistent standards applied to all states.

“Both the war crimes in Ukraine and ongoing genocide in Gaza must end without sacrificing people’s rights or compromising the protection guaranteed under international law.

“It must be emphasised that the UK will fully and consistently support the rights of both Palestinian and Ukrainian civilians and won’t make any concessions on this to the US President.”

Evidence of genocide against Palestinians

In December 2024, Amnesty’s International’s research found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed - and is continuing to commit - genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. 

The 296-page report - ‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza - documents how, during its military offensive launched in the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel has unleashed hell and destruction on Palestinians in Gaza brazenly, continuously and with total impunity. Amnesty examined Israel’s acts in Gaza closely and in their totality, taking into account their recurrence and simultaneous occurrence, and both their immediate impact and their cumulative and mutually-reinforcing consequences. Amnesty considered the scale and severity of the casualties and destruction over time, and also analysed public statements by officials - finding that prohibited acts were often announced or called for in the first place by high-level officials in charge of the war efforts. 

As a state party to the Genocide Convention, the UK has a legal obligation to use all reasonable means to help prevent genocide and be consistent when supporting international law – just as it has done when calling out crimes carried out by Russian forces.