London, IRNA – British lawmakers have strongly criticized the Keir Starmer government for its stance on the dire humanitarian condition in the Gaza Strip, warning that silence in the face of the brutal crimes of the Zionist regime is tantamount to complicity in genocide and the regime’s illegal actions against the Palestinian people.
According to IRNA, lawmakers in the House of Commons issued the warning to the ruling Conservative government in meeting on Tuesday on the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The meeting began with an urgent question from Layla Moran, a representative of the Liberal Democrat Party, who told heartbreaking stories about the situation of the people of Gaza and called for decisive action by the British government.
In response, Hamish Falconer, the British Deputy Foreign Secretary, while condemning Israel’s policies, explained the government’s alleged measures to provide aid, but many MPs considered these measures “insufficient” and “late.”
Referring to the critical situation in northern Gaza, Moran emphasized that nearly 46,000 people have been killed and more than 2.3 million Gazans are at risk of famine.
“We all know the statistics; But let’s go beyond the numbers and listen to a human story,” she said and then narrating the story of a surgeon whose family was trapped in the Jabalia refugee camp and then targeted by a drone strike.
“What part of international law justifies this massacre? Where is the justice?” she asked while her voice was trembling.
Falconer acknowledged that the situation in Gaza was critical and “Israel must address it urgently” and claimed that his government was working with international allies to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
However, many MPs, including Emily Thornberry, chair of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, considered the government’s actions insufficient. “We have heard from witnesses, time and again, that the British government could have done more, but that it was either too little or too late.”
Another most contentious issue at the meeting was British arms exports to Israel.
“Is the government prepared to stop arms sales to Israel?” asked Callum Miller, a spokesman for the Liberal Democrats.
“We will never allow weapons sold by the UK to be used to violate international law,” Falconer said despite knowing Britain’s incomplete measures to restrict arms exports to the Zionist regime.
Labour MP Ebtisam Mohammed, referring to reports of the Israeli army forcibly evicting residents of northern Gaza, described the measures as “ethnic cleansing” and called on the government to take a firm stance on the issue.
“We are watching ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the world remains silent. Does the UK government recognize this?” he asked.
The meeting showed that Britain’s traditional support for Israel is faltering, and pressure from MPs, even from some Conservatives, to halt arms exports and call for an immediate ceasefire reflects a changing political climate in Britain.
While the Starmer government claims to be trying to defuse the crisis, many MPs do not consider these efforts sufficient and insist that London must play a more active role in ending the bloodshed in Gaza.
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