By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - A UK-based Palestine solidarity group on Tuesday "condemned in the strongest possible terms," the British foreign secretary's recent comments dismissing the term "genocide" in describing Israel’s destruction of Gaza.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) said in a statement that David 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.
"We call on David Lammy to retract his comments and recognise the reality of Gaza’s genocide," the statement quoted Zaher Birawi, the head of the PFB, as saying.
He also urged 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,” Birawi added.
In parliament on Monday, Conservative lawmaker Nick Timothy urged Lammy to clarify that “there is not a genocide occuring in the Middle East.”
In response, Lammy said: "These are, quite properly, legal terms that must be determined by international courts.
“But I do agree with the honorable gentleman, those terms were largely used when millions of people lost their lives in crises like Rwanda, the World War II, the Holocaust, and the way that they are used now undermines the seriousness of that term.”
The group also commented on the Israeli decision to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), saying the move undermines a vital source of humanitarian aid to over a million Palestinians, deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
"We stand in unwavering solidarity with our people in Gaza, whose resilience endures despite unimaginable hardship," the statement said.
Israel has killed more than 43,000 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory and has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its actions in the enclave.
South Africa on Monday filed a detailed submission to the ICJ outlining evidence of Israel’s alleged violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention in its war on Gaza. According to the presidency, the submission includes 750 pages of evidence of acts of genocide and genocidal intent.