United Kingdom support for Israel in the Gaza war

In response to the 7 October attacks, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted that the United Kingdom "unequivocally" stands with Israel.

[1] The UK also issued an "unequivocal condemnation" of Palestinian militant group Hamas[2] and deployed British Armed Forces personnel and assets to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel.

[43] In response to the 13 July 2024 al-Mawasi attack, the UK-based organization Medical Aid for Palestinians released a statement saying, "The UK Government must now act urgently to suspend arms sales to Israel and prevent further atrocities.

[45] In August 2024, Foreign Office official Mark Smith resigned over the United Kingdom's continued arming of Israel despite its alleged breaches of international law.

[50] In October 2023 the Ministry of Defence announced that it is willing to share intelligence related to war crimes with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

[64][65] Amidst the ensuing controversy, Sunak described Hoyle's actions as "very concerning" but did not support calls from within the Conservative Party for the Speaker to be ousted.

[76] On 16 November 2023, Starmer suffered a major rebellion when 56 of his MPs (including ten frontbenchers) defied a three-line whip in voting for a Scottish National Party (SNP) motion proposed by Stephen Flynn to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

[79][80][81] The Labour Party under Starmer suspended several parliamentary candidates and MPs, including Graham Jones, Andy McDonald, Azhar Ali and Kate Osamor, for allegedly making anti-Semitic comments about Israel during the Israel-Hamas war, or for describing its conduct as genocide.

[87] Cameron said in an interview with the BBC that he told Israeli officials that "they must abide by international humanitarian law" and that the number of Palestinian casualties was "too high".

[90] Cameron supported the February 2024 US Senate bill to allocate military aid to Ukraine Taiwan and Israel, saying that he did not want the West to "show weakness displayed against Vladimir Putin in 2008, when he invaded Georgia, or the uncertainty of the response in 2014, when he took Crimea and much of the Donbas—before coming back to cost us far more with his aggression in 2022".

[96] Cameron told LBC radio host Nick Ferrari that, were the UK to offer the same sort of support to Ukraine, it would represent a "dangerous escalation.

[98] Cameron claimed that in July 2024 he had been preparing to sanction Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians, but his attempts had been derailed by the general election.

[99] In September 2024, a former Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office official stated that Cameron sat on clear evidence of Israeli war crimes, despite the risk of UK complicity with these breaches.

[101] In a speech at a Labour Friends of Israel event shortly after the attack, Lammy said “We hold on to the ideal of a two-state solution and we say to Hamas, your actions have set back the cause of peace.

[101] As Foreign Secretary, Lammy met with Israeli political leaders to push for a deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages.

[31][106] Lammy supported the International Criminal Court's request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, stating that "Democracies that believe in the rule of law must submit themselves to it".

[107] Following the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, then home secretary Suella Braverman said in a letter to chief constables in England and Wales: "I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' (...) in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated section 5 public order offence", adding that "Behaviours that are legitimate in some circumstances, for example the waving of a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism".

[112] Braverman wrote an opinion piece that was published in The Times on 8 November which included a statement that there was "a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters" and were tougher on right-wing extremists than pro-Palestinian "mobs".

[112] The Telegraph throws doubt on this view, reporting that David Cameron was offered the role of foreign secretary on 7 November 2023, the day before Braverman's Times article was published.

[115] He was elected in a political upset after Azhar Ali, the Labour candidate, lost the support of his party due to comments made regarding the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

[124][125] Hundreds of Labour councillors wrote to Starmer urging him to call for a ceasefire,[126] and dozens resigned from the party including former city mayor Claire Darke because they could not in conscience retain membership due to its position.

[citation needed] Conservative MP Paul Bristow wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asking him to call for a ceasefire – an act for which his party sacked him from his government role as ministerial aide.

On 9 October, the Stop the War Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) attended a demonstration in which hundreds marched through London's Kensington High Street and outside the embassy of Israel.

[194] On 26 November 2023, between 50,000 and 60,000 people joined in a march in London to protest against a rise in hate crimes against Jews since the attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel on 7 October.

[195][196] On 14 January 2024, approximately 25,000 people attended a rally in support of Israel in Trafalgar Square, calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas.

[199][200][201] Protestors chanted "Shame on you" at Conservative MP Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, as he was ushered through London Victoria shortly after a sit-in at the station.

[203] Protesters demonstrated outside Labour's London headquarters, chanting "Keir Starmer, you can't hide, you're endorsing genocide" and calling for the party to "change their policy ... and to demand an immediate ceasefire".

Jo Stevens, one of the abstaining MPs, had the word "Murderer" graffitied on her Cardiff Central office, and stickers and posters were stuck up saying the MP had "blood ... on her hands" and supported the killing of babies.

[212] Yasmine Ahmed, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, stated that the government was employing double standards for Russian military activities in Ukraine and Israel's actions in Gaza.

[214] Declassified UK revealed in February 2024 that 20% of Labour Party MPs have been received funding from pro-Israel groups or individuals, totaling £280,000 in donations.