British government lawyer: Israel violated international law

A leak published by the British Observer newspaper showed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government received advice from its lawyers that Israel violated international humanitarian law in its war on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper explained that the leak includes comments made by Alicia Cairns, head of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, at a fundraising event for the Conservative Party on March 13.

“The Foreign Office received formal legal advice that Israel had violated international humanitarian law, but the government did not declare this, did not stop arms exports, and just imposed some very small sanctions on Israeli settlers,” Cairns said.

She explained that she and Foreign Minister David Cameron "strongly believe in Israel's right to defend itself, but the right to self-defense has limits in the law, and the matter is not without limits," and she considered that Israel's actions endanger its security and the security of Britain in the long term.

Yesterday, Saturday, Cairns confirmed those statements, and said, “I remain convinced that the government has completed its assessment of whether Israel shows a commitment to international humanitarian law, and that it has concluded that it does not show that commitment.”

Counselor Charles Falconer explained that the legal assessment that Israel had violated international law would also prevent Britain from sharing intelligence with Israel. “Governments committed to the rule of law cannot ignore mounting evidence of violations, which would put those governments in violation,” he said. If you continue to help."

Britain's arms exports to Israel amounted to about $53 million in 2022, a figure described by Defense Secretary Grant Shapps as "relatively small."