Today, we’ve published legal advice which shows that the UK may be liable for crimes committed by Israel during the country’s devastating attacks on..
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Hi John,
Today, we’ve published legal advice which shows that the UK may be liable for crimes committed by Israel during the country’s devastating attacks on Gaza and through Israel’s illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. [1]
And if Israeli officials are found guilty of war crimes – and the International Criminal Court has already applied for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – then UK ministers and senior civil servants could be held liable too. [2]
The advice, written by leading barrister Sam Fowles, says that the UK’s trade relations with Israel and provision of intelligence and diplomatic support could also make UK officials liable for Israel’s breaches of international humanitarian law.
After a Foreign Office official last week resigned over the UK’s refusal to ban arms exports to Israel, we’re aiming to ramp up pressure on the UK government to end its complicity in Israel’s war crimes. [3]
Can you share our findings and put pressure on the UK government to stop supporting Israel’s attack on Gaza?
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The situation in Gaza is unbearable. At least 40,000 people have been killed in Israel’s barbaric assault [4] and its targeting of major health [5], food [6] and water infrastructure [7] has caused disastrous hunger and disease. People in Gaza are trapped in a living hell.
The UK should be doing everything within its power to end Israel’s attacks on Gaza, but instead it continues to provide the country with support. In the last year the UK has failed to refuse a single arms export license to the country, continuing to assist its military even as its atrocities mount [8]
The new government has even announced it wants to develop a new trade deal with Israel, effectively rewarding Israel’s war crimes, while it continues to dither over a decision on an arms embargo. [9,10]
The government has grimly resisted the clear and obvious moral calls to take action, so we want to make clear to ministers and leading officials that their actions could lead to legal consequences too.
Israel is breaking international law in the most horrific ways. A UN Commission has found that Israeli forces have committed crimes against humanity, including extermination, forcible transfer and torture, in their operations in Gaza. [11] The country remains under investigation for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). [12] And last month, the same court ruled that Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine is unlawful. [13]
Share our story and tell the UK government it could be liable for Israeli atrocities
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We’ve written to government ministers today to tell them that they may be liable for crimes – and urge them to put an immediate arms embargo on Israel, as well as breaking off trade talks. Please do join us in putting pressure on them by sharing this story as widely as you can.
Thank you,
Tim Bierley
Campaigner, Global Justice Now
P.S. If you haven’t already signed our petition urging the government to ban arms sales to Israel, please do.
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Notes
1. UK ministers and civil servants could be held liable for Israeli war crimes, barrister says ([link removed]) , Global Justice Now, 21 August 2024
2. ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli PM and Hamas officials for war crimes ([link removed]) , Guardian, 20 May 2024
3. Foreign Office official quits over UK refusal to ban arms exports to Israel, ([link removed]) Guardian, 18 August 2024
4. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 10 months of war in Gaza, health ministry says, ([link removed]) CNN, 16 Aug 2024
5. Satellite images reveal the destruction of hospitals in Gaza ([link removed]) , Al Jazeera, 18 April 2024
6. Gaza: By destroying agricultural lands and blocking food aid, Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war against civilians ([link removed]) , Reliefweb, 24 June 2024
7. Israel using water as weapon of war as Gaza supply plummets by 94%, creating deadly health catastrophe ([link removed]) , Oxfam, 17 July 2024
8. UK has issued 108 arms export licences to Israel since 7 October ([link removed]) , Guardian, 11 June 2024
9. UK’s Pursuit of Closer Trade Ties With Israel Risks Rewarding it for War Crimes, ([link removed]) Byline Times, 6 August 2024
10. UK delays decision on banning some arms sales to Israel amid Lebanon crisis ([link removed]) , Guardian, 30 July 2024
11. UN-backed commission accuses Israel and Palestinian groups of war crimes ([link removed]) , Al Jazeera, 12 June 2024
12. A top U.N. court says Gaza genocide is 'plausible' but does not order cease-fire ([link removed]) , NPR, 26 January 2024
13. UN top court says Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal ([link removed]) , BBC, 19 July 2024
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