British lawmaker highlights UK’s complicity in Israeli war crimes

By Zuhal Demirci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iqbal Mohamed, a Member of Parliament in the UK’s House of Commons, has accused the British government of directly and indirectly supporting Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, stating: “I'm afraid that the British government, when these war criminals are brought to justice, will also be indicted for being complicit in these war crimes.”

Mohamed, part of the “Independent Alliance” group of five MPs supporting Gaza including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, spoke to Anadolu Agency about his opposition to the UK government’s support for Israel.

He condemned Israel’s killing of innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an end to such actions and urging those complicit to withdraw their support.

“It’s very simple. We need to stop the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, north, south, across the region, in the West Bank, the settlements. How much more killing should there be before the British government will stop in its direct and indirect support of Israel committing war crimes? They don’t want to call it a genocide. It is a genocide. They don’t want to call it ethnic cleansing. It is ethnic cleansing. They don’t want to call it mass murder. It is mass murder,” Mohamed said.

- Calls for action in Parliament

Mohamed emphasized that ending the massacres against Palestinians is a priority, noting that he and other MPs raise the issue at every opportunity in Parliament.

“We want the government to stop with the talking and start acting. Thirty (arms) licenses banned out of 350 is not enough. The parts that go to supply the repair of the F-35s must stop. They are the biggest, most common killing machine. The drones and the sniper attacks on children. What will these decision makers, the prime minister, the foreign secretary, the whole cabinet and the people across the house supporting Israel’s right to commit genocide, what will their children and their grandchildren say when they grow up?” he asked.

- ‘Genocide is not about numbers, it’s about intent’

Mohamed criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement that “what is happening in Gaza is not genocide,” pointing out that the UN, the International Court of Justice, and independent organizations have confirmed that events in Gaza meet the definition of genocide.

“Genocide is not about numbers, it’s about intent,” he said.

“So they said what they were going to do, they have done what they were going to do, and they have gone beyond what they said they were going to do. And it is beyond words. So they must act to stop the killing. I'm afraid that the British government, when these war criminals are brought to justice, will also be indicted for being complicit in these war crimes. And as a British parliamentarian, it is my duty to protect my country, my government, my state. And I implore the UK Labour government to not continue with the policies of the previous government and to fully comply with international law,” Mohamed added.

Writing by Efe Ozkan