UK’s Foreign Secretary on Israel: Without a plan to safeguard civilian life, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron declared that the UK could not back a significant Israeli offensive on Rafah.
Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been alerted by US President Joe Biden that if the densely populated southern Gaza city is struck, Washington’s supply of weaponry may be cut off.
Though the UK was in a different circumstance since the government did not directly supply weapons, Lord Cameron warned that arms export licenses would still be assessed against the possibility of international humanitarian law being violated.
According to Standard, in response to queries after a lecture in London, he declared: “The US and UK situations differ fundamentally.”
“The US is a massive state supplier of weapons to Israel,” he declared.
“We do not have a UK government supply of weapons to Israel, we have several licences, and I think our defence exports to Israel are responsible for significantly less than 1% of their total.
“That is a big difference.”
UK to Expel Russian Defense Attaché as Sanctions Tighten, Home Secretary Warns
Cameron further stated that UK arms sales will continue to be subject to “a rigorous process” to prevent their involvement in any transgressions of international humanitarian law.
Furthermore, he restated “We have not seen that plan, so in the circumstances, we will not support a major operation in Rafah,”
We have not seen that strategy, hence under the current conditions, we will not back a significant operation in Rafah, he said.
Sending in tanks and carrying out “targeted raids” in eastern Rafah, where it claims the final battalions of Hamas fighters are located, Israel has already disregarded UN protests.
Cameron’s remarks followed a significant speech he gave arguing for a more forceful approach to Western foreign policy.
The former UK prime minister said nations must act more forcefully to defend their interests against new dangers, such as those from Iran and Russia.
“We are in a battle of wills. We all must prove our adversaries wrong: Britain, and our allies and partners around the world,” he added
Cameron urged NATO nations to increase defence expenditure above a two percent of GDP objective set ten years ago during his speech at the National Cyber Security Centre in central London.
“Out-compete, out-cooperate and out-innovate” opponents, he urged members of the 32-member Western defence alliance.
“The upcoming NATO summit must see all allies on track to deliver their pledge made in Wales in 2014 to spend 2% on defence.
“And we then need to move quickly to establish 2.5 per cent as the new benchmark for all NATO allies”
China Suspected of Hacking UK Ministry of Defence, Exposing Sensitive Details
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared last month that the country would progressively increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 while on a visit to Poland.
Cameron maintained that the UK should fund established alliances, such as the G7 of the wealthiest countries in the world and the Five Eyes network of intelligence-sharing with the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
But he continued that Britain also has to create new alliances, such as the AUKUS alliance with the US and Australia, after Brexit.
“We need to adopt a harder edge for a tougher world. If Putin’s illegal invasion teaches us anything, it must be that doing too little, too late, only spurs an aggressor on,” he said.
Sunak drew Cameron out of the political wilderness in November to become foreign secretary. Cameron had resigned as prime minister in 2016 following the British vote to leave the European Union.
He has travelled the world extensively throughout that time, raising the visibility of the UK on the international scene compared to previous years when the nation’s attention was on Brexit and its turbulent fallout.
