Israel is in breach of international law as the occupying power if it fails to provide food and water to the people of Gaza, the UK foreign secretary, Lord Cameron, told peers on Tuesday in his clearest warning yet over Israel’s conduct.
He also said it was simply not possible for people in Rafah to leave as proposed by the Israeli Defense Forces, remarks that suggest the UK would not endorse any Israeli plan to mount a full-scale attack on the area containing more than 1 million people in crowded refugee camps. He also argued the US was beginning to shift on when Palestine might be recognised so Israel was no longer given a veto.
He said: “The people who are in Rafah on many occasions have already moved three, four or five times. And it’s not possible to move again, they can’t go north because they’d be going back to homes that have been destroyed. They can’t go south, because that would involve going into Egypt, which none of us want to see and the Egyptians do not want to see.
“That is why it’s so important, the Israelis stop and think before going ahead with any operations and wrap up.”
His comments came as the US said it was reviewing reports that Israel had harmed civilians in Gaza, under a set of guidelines aimed at ensuring countries receiving US arms conduct military operations in line with international humanitarian law.
State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the process was taking place under the Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG), which is used to investigate specific incidents where civilians may have been harmed by US weapons.
The Biden administration has faced criticism for continuing to supply arms to Israel as allegations pile up that American-made weapons have been used in strikes that have killed or injured civilians.
On Tuesday, Cameron sidestepped a request by one peer for the UK to halt arms supplies to Israel, adding Hamas could stop the fight immediately.
In his speech, Cameron said the US was reviewing the point at which it was willing to recognise a Palestinian state, since recognition that came only after an agreement between Palestine and Israel would provide Israel with a veto.
He said just because recognition of Palestine did not happen at the beginning, “it doesn’t mean it has to wait right till the end. One of the things that is beginning to change, which I think is hopeful, is the American posture. Up to now that has been that recognition can only come when Israel and Palestine agree on the creation of a Palestinian state, but if you do that you do, effectively, give Israel a veto over a Palestinian state. That’s the opposite of creating the sort of unstoppable momentum towards a two-state solution that we all want to see”.
In Cameron’s clearest warning to Israel about its conduct he said as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel had to make sure that humanitarian aid and food, water and shelter were available to people in Gaza, “because if they don’t do that, that would be a breach of international humanitarian law”.
Setting out his overall strategy, Cameron said: “You’ve got to get, in our view, the Hamas leaders out of Gaza, otherwise any ceasefire won’t last because the problem will still be there. You’ve got to dismantle the operation of terrorist attacks. You’ve got to have a new Palestinian Authority and governments in place. You have got to give the Palestinian people a political horizon to a better future and two-state solution and, crucially, you’ve got to release all of the hostages and do that very quickly.”
He said if there was a pause in fighting as long as six weeks – something he suggested Israel was willing to agree – that could bring about a permanent ceasefire without a return to fighting.
His remarks implied that Hamas would not be entirely destroyed as an organisation, but its leadership removed from Gaza.
He said he hoped there would be a meeting on Friday in Munich involving the US secretary of state and foreign ministers from the major European foreign ministries, along with Arab ministers.
Cameron added he would be asking his Chinese counterpart “given the importance of trade to China, they should be as fully supportive of free trade in the Red Sea as we are”.