A government minister has said the UK has an “obligation” to provide support to Israel “in its time of need” despite the killing of three British aid workers in Gaza.
A quarrel has broken out Last week’s incident raised questions over whether the UK should continue to sell arms to the country and whether Israel’s actions in the conflict breached international law.
Opposition parties and a range of legal experts have called on the government to publish the legal advice it gave on whether the sale should go ahead to ensure the UK is not involved in any illegal activity.
But Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, told Sky News’ Breakfast with Kay Burley that there was “a long-running meeting between governments of different colors and the advice will not be made public” and that there were no plans Publicize it.
LIVE: Ministers under pressure to issue Israeli legal advice
A World Central Kitchen vehicle was destroyed during a strike in Israel, killing seven aid workers.Image: AP
Government’s willingness to support Israel in doubt After British aid worker diesThe minister said: “We are very disturbed by what has happened. We are shocked by what has happened. The Prime Minister has spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister about this.
“We are also very disturbed by the amount of aid coming into Israel, which is why we have been working hard to increase it.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride insisted the government had “robust” processes in place. Image: PA
He added: “We should support [Israel]especially when she needs it… However, this is not unconditional support.
“We hope that Israel will not do what is happening to aid workers. We have made it clear that we are appalled by what is happening there.
“We do expect – and Americans and others do – that aid will come into Gaza, where we are starting to fall into famine, and we are very concerned. So it has [to] Take a balanced approach. “
On legal advice, Mr Stride said the UK had “robust processes” in place to ensure the law was followed and was being “constantly reviewed” in an effort to allay concerns.
However, while he would not commit to making the proposal public, he said: “Given the current circumstances, it is recommended… that there should be no changes to the current arrangements.”
Follow Sky News for all the latest news from the UK and around the world
Shadow health minister Abena Oppong-Asare reiterated Labour’s call to see legal advice, telling Kay Burley: “I think it’s really concerning and we There is a real need to look at the guidance and legal advice provided to the Foreign Secretary.
“It needs to be published so that if it says arms sales violate international human rights law, then we do need to look at making sure action is taken to suspend it.”
Sunday marks six months since Hamas launched an attack in Israel that sparked clashes and killed 1,200 people. There are still 129 hostages missing, and at least 34 of them are presumed dead.
Since then, more than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 75,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
