Britain is accused of being complicit in Israel’s killing of seven aid workers in Gaza amid claims that weapons used in the attack were powered by UK-made engines.
Israel struck a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy carrying charity workers, including three Britons, with a Hermes 450 drone according to Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). It said the weapon - known as a "Zik" drone in Israel could have been powered by a British component.
The three British citizens killed were named on Tuesday as John Chapman, 57, James "Jim" Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.
They were part of the security team. The deaths, described by Benjamin Netanyahu as "unintended", prompted an outpouring of anger as pressure grows on the British government to suspend arms transfers to Israel.
Senior Tory Sir Alan Duncan, a former foreign minister, was among those to speak out against the attack, describing it in The Independent as "a tipping point in Israel's collapsing reputation" and asking whether Britain should reconsider Israel as an ally.
Citing figures from the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, he said: "As the death toll in Gaza has risen from 1,000 to 10,000 to 30,000, Israel's justification for this excess feels ever less convincing... Through its deceit and callousness, Israel has now lost the support of the world. Nobody any longer believes its statements."
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy joined the calls for the arms trade to cease, accusing his ministerial counterpart David Cameron of "going silent" on the question of whether or not Israel is complying with international humanitarian law in relation to the sales. "The law is clear," he said. "British arms licences cannot be granted if there is a clear risk."
Meanwhile:
This story is from the April 04, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 04, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
England's extreme selection adds to changing Test tides
You may have missed it, but Test cricket is really fun at the moment.
Return to Galacticos model changes Real for the worse
Florentino Perez may have been keen to grandstand at Real Madrid’s general assembly on Sunday, but some of his stars have been more concerned with just standing still. Almost literally.
City squander three-goal lead as team self-destructs
At least it was not a sixth successive defeat.
ACCLAIMING NORA
As the reality of another four years of Trump begins to set in, Robert McCrum suggests Nora Ephron’s comforting world of witty prose and whirlwind romances can help us through
Disabled people are terrified of Starmer's welfare reforms
“People are just frightened. There is no sense that the state in Britain is going to support us if we get into trouble. In fact, it’s the opposite.
Trump will change his tune on tariffs once in power
According to Donald Trump, the most beautiful word in the dictionary” is tariff”.
We can't separate God from the assisted dying argument
As Friday’s Commons vote on assisted dying draws closer, the debate surrounding it, which has so far focused on issues about the terminally ill, pain, personal autonomy, the ethics of killing, and care, seems to have moved from respectful dialogue to becoming more fraught and personal.
Five rescued 24 hours after yacht capsized in Red Sea
Search continues for seven people, including two Britons
Pakistan authorities launch operation to clear Islamabad
Move follows clashes in the capital between police and supporters of Imran Khan which have left six people dead
World's oldest man dies at 112, 'surrounded by love'
John Tinniswood was born in 1912, the year the Titanic sank
