UK Prime Minister rebuffs genocide claims in Parliament and backs sanctions against Israeli ministers.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls to label Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocide, responding to criticism from within his own party during a session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday.
Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, who previously resigned from the Labour front bench over her stance on the Gaza conflict, urged the Prime Minister to take stronger action against Israel, accusing the Jewish state of committing mass atrocities.
“What we are witnessing in Gaza is indiscriminate, limitless, cruel, and criminal killing of civilians,” said Qureshi. “More than 50,000 people have been killed. Children have been shot while queuing for bread.”
Citing views of “genocide scholars” and referencing her own experience on the UN Mission in Kosovo, Qureshi pressed Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state and act to “prevent genocide.”
In response, Starmer said: “The humanitarian situation is dreadful and distressing, and scenes that we have witnessed outside aid distribution centres are frankly heartbreaking. More aid is needed in volume and speed into Gaza, and Israel’s plan for aid delivery is inadequate and insufficient.”
He called for the UN and international agencies to be allowed to deliver aid using “well-established mechanisms” and said Israel “must allow this,” adding that the UK government is working with allies to increase aid access and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Separately, Starmer defended the UK’s decision to impose sanctions on Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, stating: “Acting alongside our allies, we’ve sanctioned individuals responsible for inciting appalling settler violence and expansion.”
“We’ve done that to uphold human rights and defend the prospect of a two-state solution. We will continue to support all efforts to secure a ceasefire, the release of all hostages despicably held by Hamas, and the humanitarian aid that needs to surge in,” he said.
The UK sanctions, imposed in coordination with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, target Ben-Gvir and Smotrich over allegations of inciting violence against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
