The government is facing calls from the opposition and senior Conservatives to publish the legal advice it has received on the Gaza war, after claiming it had been warned that Israel was breaching humanitarian law.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said Lord Cameron and Rishi Sunak should “come clean” about what they had been told.
It comes after a recording was leaked of a senior Conservative MP claiming ministers had withheld the advice.
Alicia Kearns, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, said she believed ministers had concluded Israel had not demonstrated a commitment to international law.
The Foreign Office said it would review recommendations that Israel comply with international law but would remain confidential.
Israel has come under intense international scrutiny for its treatment of Palestinians since the outbreak of the war against Hamas on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead.
David Cameron and Rishi Sunak must now clarify and publish the legal advice they received
David Lammy
In the leaked recording, Ms Kearns, answering questions at an evening reception hosted by the Green Conservatives in West Hampstead, London, on March 13, said: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel A violation of international humanitarian law was committed, but the government has not yet declared it.
“They have not said, they have not stopped arms exports.
“They’ve imposed some very minor sanctions on Israeli settlers – everyone internationally agrees that the settlers are illegal and they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing and the way they’re continuing and the money they’re putting in.”
An arms export license cannot be issued if the use of the arms creates a clear risk of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Ms Kearns told The Observer, which obtained the leaked recording: “I continue to believe that the government has completed its latest assessment of whether Israel has demonstrated a commitment to international humanitarian law and has concluded that it has not. It is a legal decision that it must make to make this commitment.
“Transparency is crucial at this point, especially in upholding the rules-based international order.”
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We continually review recommendations regarding Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law and ministers act on these recommendations, for example when considering export licenses.”
“The content of the government’s advice is confidential.”
Mr Lamy said Ms Kahn’s comments raised “serious questions about whether the government is complying with its own laws”.
“David Cameron and Rishi Sunak must now clarify and publish the legal advice they have received.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused the government of being “on the wrong side of history” on the issue.
He added that the prime minister and foreign secretary “have an obligation to be honest with the public and the senior officials they currently serve as to whether they have received advice that Israel has violated international humanitarian law.”
“If reports are true and the UK government continues to provide weapons and intelligence to Israel despite knowing that Israel is violating international humanitarian law, then both countries’ positions will be untenable.”
Lord Cameron stressed Israel’s responsibilities under humanitarian law, including ensuring aid is provided to civilians.
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