Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Britain is contemplating penalizing two Israeli ministers and that Britain and France have sought an urgent meeting at the UN Security Council to review the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The United States stated that humanitarian conditions must improve or Israel may be subject to limits on US military aid. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that food shipments to Gaza have drastically decreased in recent weeks following the implementation of a new customs regulation by Israeli officials.
When questioned about the issue, Starmer told lawmakers, “We frequently make representations on this with our partners.” “The need for additional assistance to enter Gaza is urgent and has been for an extended period of time.”
In a statement, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the United Nations conference will discuss Israel’s need to protect civilians and keep roads open so life-saving relief could pass through. Algeria has joined the desire for the quick summit, he added.
In addition, Starmer stated that Britain was considering imposing sanctions on Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich for remarks they made regarding the crisis.
Prior to the then-governing Conservative Party losing an election in June, former foreign secretary David Cameron was also allegedly considering penalizing the two.
When asked if his administration would punish Ben-Gvir for calling those responsible for settlement violence in the West Bank heroes and Smotrich for suggesting that starving civilians in Gaza would be justifiable, Starmer responded, “We have been looking at that because they’re obviously abhorrent comments.”
