UPDATE WITH MORE REMARKS FROM BRITISH PREMIER
By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - The UK government is reviewing the possibility of imposing sanctions on two senior Israeli ministers in response to inflammatory comments supporting Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have carried out attacks on Palestinians.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the government is “looking at that” during Prime Minister's Questions session on Wednesday, labelling the ministers' remarks as "abhorrent."
This follows remarks by former Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary of the previous government, David Cameron, who revealed that the previous government had been considering sanctions against Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, for their extremist rhetoric.
Their comments have drawn widespread condemnation, with concerns raised about their potential to exacerbate tensions in the already volatile West Bank region.
Starmer expressed grave concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 42,000 amid intensifying violence.
He stressed that access to basic services has become increasingly difficult for civilians and called on Israel to take all possible steps to minimize civilian casualties and facilitate the delivery of vital humanitarian aid.
"Israel must take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, to allow aid in, to gather in much greater volume, and to provide the UN humanitarian partners the ability to operate effectively," Starmer said in parliament.
In addition to considering sanctions, Starmer said the UK along with France and Algeria called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Gaza humanitarian aid.
- Stance on China
Conservative leader Rishi Sunak also challenged Starmer on his government’s stance towards China as Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to hold crucial talks in Beijing later this week.
Sunak seized the opportunity to press Starmer on several issues related to China, including its recent military exercises near Taiwan and the detention of British citizen and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
The Tory leader asked Starmer whether his foreign secretary, Lammy, would explicitly condemn China's military drills off Taiwan’s coast.
Starmer responded by acknowledging that such actions were "not conducive to peace," but stopped short of issuing a direct condemnation, aiming to balance diplomatic efforts with maintaining an open dialogue.
Starmer also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to holding China accountable for any involvement in aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
"We are committed to sanctioning any Chinese business or individual involved in supporting Russia’s aggression," Starmer said, emphasizing a tough stance amid growing global tensions.