THE new Foreign Secretary David Lammy must urgently end UK arms sales to Israel, according to the Scottish Greens.
The party pointed out that the UK’s arms export criteria state that a weapon cannot be sold if there is a "clear risk" that it "might" be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.
Before Labour’s victory in the General Election, Lammy stated that he had “serious concerns” about the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and urged the then Tory government to publish its legal advice relating to the continuation of arms sales to the country.
However, then foreign secretary David Cameron refused to publish the advice and arms sales to Israel have continued despite the increasing death toll in Gaza.
“For the last nine months the Tories have armed and supported Israeli forces while they have inflicted grave war crimes and atrocities on the people of Gaza,” said Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie.
“It has been a moral disgrace.
“Now we have a new government, and a new Foreign Secretary.
“They say they are committed to working for a ceasefire, but those words are meaningless if they continue to arm Israel.
“There are no two ways about it. Every day that they allow weapons to flow and provide military support and political cover is another day of complicity in genocide.
“In opposition, David Lammy called for the UK to publish the advice it received on the legality of arms exports.
“Now he is in government, he must live up to the standard he rightly demanded of others and immediately publish it.
“With the people of Gaza suffering one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, it is vital that we see an end to UK arms sales and a recognition of Palestine’s right to self-determination.”
It comes after Keir Starmer made the case for a ceasefire during phone calls with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday.
