We condemn in the strongest possible terms UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s recent comments dismissing the term “genocide” in describing Israel’s systematic destruction of Gaza. Lammy’s remarks not only distort the legal and historical significance of genocide but also dangerously minimize the horrific atrocities inflicted on the Palestinian people. Israel’s escalated actions—including targeting civilians, destroying essential infrastructure, and blocking humanitarian aid—unequivocally meet the criteria of genocide as defined in international law.
Zaher Birawi, the chairman of the PFB, stated: “We call on David Lammy to retract his comments and recognise the reality of Gaza’s genocide. We also urge the UK government and the international community to act decisively to end these atrocities and hold Israel accountable under international law. Failure to do so perpetuates this cycle of violence and suffering, undermining justice and Palestinian rights.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, has substantiated these claims, finding “reasonable grounds” that genocide is indeed being committed against Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese’s report identifies Israel’s actions—inflicting grave bodily and psychological harm, imposing life-threatening conditions, and obstructing critical aid—as deliberate acts of extermination aimed at destroying a people in whole or in part. This truth is obscured by Lammy’s comments, which dangerously overlook the global consensus on the severity of these crimes.
The recent Knesset vote to expel the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from Palestinian territories is another alarming escalation. This move undermines a vital source of humanitarian aid to over a million Palestinians, deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Israel’s baseless designation of UNRWA as a “terror group” is a thinly veiled attempt to sever Gaza’s humanitarian support and to eliminate witnesses to its suffering. Lammy’s indifference to these actions serves to whitewash the scale of the atrocities endured by the Palestinian people.
We stand in unwavering solidarity with our people in Gaza, whose resilience endures despite unimaginable hardship. The Palestinian Forum in Britain calls upon all who stand for justice to join us in opposing the atrocities in Gaza. Silence is complicity; we must all demand an end to the suffering in Gaza.
End
29/10/2024
