29 March 2024, Good Friday
Over 115 British Parliamentarians from all political parties have written to the Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron on Palestinians facing and enduring famine and starvation in Gaza, demanding that Israel stops using starvation as a weapon of war, demanding the restoration of UK funds to UNRWA and on the UK government to put pressure on Israel as it continues to block full access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, in breach of international law. The letter demands that Israel should abide by the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice, and failure to do so should mean serious consequences for the UK-Israel relationship.
A full list of signatories is available below, with some adding their names once the letter had been sent. Please be aware that Ministers and Shadow Ministers cannot sign such letters and that this is only available for backbenchers. Please do share this letter with your MP, and encourage them to add their name if it's not already there.
Dear Foreign Secretary,
We write as a group of cross-party MPs and Peers concerned about the dire situation facing Palestinians in Gaza and also to welcome your letter to Alicia Kearns MP, in which you recognise that aid is not reaching Gaza due to “arbitrary denials by the Israeli government”. We welcome that the UN security council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with the UK voting in favour.
It is alarming that Israel has delayed UK aid into Gaza by delaying permissions to cross the border and by preventing the necessary staff from obtaining visas. Further UK pressure on the Israeli government to let aid in, open the Port of Ashdod, and ‘turn the taps back on’ in Gaza is vital.
Gaza is on the brink of famine, as made clear in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report of 18 March 2024. The situation is already so dire that the definition of famine may have already been met in northern Gaza.
To date, 27 children in Gaza and 3 adults have been starved or dehydrated to death, largely as a result of this Israeli policy. In northern Gaza, 70% of the population are already experiencing the gravest degree of food shortages, where people have resorted to eating bird seed, animal feed, and grass. Additionally, people have resorted to digging down into the soil to access water pipes for drinking and washing.
On 13 February 2024, you stated that Israel would be in breach of international humanitarian law if it denied Gaza food and water, something that you have now confirmed to be the case. Given that Israel refuses to change its approach and that the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of easing, the UK needs to demonstrate that there will be diplomatic consequences for Israel if it continues to block full access for humanitarian aid and - as you stated - breach international law.
We would therefore propose the Government to take the following steps:
- Restore full funding to UNRWA, joining the European Union, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. This will allow UNRWA, the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza, to continue its lifesaving work which is more vital now than ever, particularly in light of the context of famine and starvation
- Demand that Israel must not use starvation as a weapon of war, in line with international humanitarian law, something that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, has publicly called for.
- Set a deadline within weeks, preferably days, for Israel to abide by the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice, ordered on 26 January, including facilitating full access for humanitarian aid, or else face serious consequences for the UK-Israel relationship.
Parliamentarians who add their names once the letter had been sent are as follows:
Baroness Katy Clark of Kilwinning
Rt Hon. Diane Abbott MP
Margaret Greenwood MP
Ian Mearns MP
Allan Dorans MP
Duncan Baker MP
Baroness Sheila Hollins
Sir Mark Hendrick MP
The full list of signatures is as follows:
Rt Hon. David Jones MP
Debbie Abrahams MP
Lord John Alderdice
Dr Rosena Allin Khan MP
Hannah Bardell MP
Paula Barker MP
Apsana Begum MP
Rt Hon. Baroness Tessa Blackstone
Olivia Blake MP
Paul Blomfield MP
Baroness Christine Blower
Crispin Blunt MP
Deidre Brock MP
Alan Brown MP
Baroness Pauline Bryan of Partick
Richard Burgon MP
Baroness Lorely Burt of Solihull
Ian Byrne MP
Rt Hon. Liam Byrne MP
Amy Callaghan MP
Rt Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP
Lord Michael Cashman CBE
Sarah Champion MP
Bambos Charalambous MP
Joanna Cherry MP
Daisy Cooper MP
Rt Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP
Martyn Day MP
Marsha de Cordova MP
Rt Hon. Baroness Frances D’Souza CMG
Martin Docherty-Hughes MP
Flick Drummond MP
Lord Alf Dubs
Sarah Dyke MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Julie Elliott MP
Dr Stephen Farry MP
Marion Fellows MP
Richard Foord MP
Patricia Gibson MP
Baroness Shaista Gohir CBE
Patrick Grady MP
Rt Hon. Lord Peter Hain
Claire Hanna MP
Drew Hendry MP
Lord John Hendy KC
Wera Hobhouse MP
Kate Hollern MP
Rachel Hopkins MP
Imran Hussain MP
Lord Qurban Hussain
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece
Christine Jardine MP
Kim Johnson MP
Afzal Khan MP
Ian Lavery MP
Chris Law MP
Clive Lewis MP
David Linden MP
Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett CBE
Caroline Lucas MP
Kenny MacAskill MP
Angus MacNeil MP
Andy McDonald MP
Stuart McDonald MP
Rt Hon. John McDonnell MP
Lord Mark McInnes of Kilwinning CBE
Anne McLaughlin MP
Rt Hon. Kit Malthouse MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Baroness Nosheena Mobarik CBE
Carol Monaghan MP
Layla Moran MP
Grahame Morris MP
Gavin Newlands MP
John Nicolson MP
Rt Hon. Baroness Lindsay Northover
Brendan O’Hara MP
Kate Osamor MP
Sarah Owen MP
Jess Phillips MP
Lord Jeremy Purvis of Tweed
Anum Qaisar MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Lord Rupert Redesdale
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Baroness Margaret Ritchie of Downpatrick
Naz Shah MP
Baroness Shaista Sheehan
Tommy Sheppard MP
Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon
Andy Slaughter MP
Rt Hon. Lord Nicholas Soames of Fletching
Chris Stephens MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Sam Tarry MP
Lord Robin Teverson
Alison Thewliss MP
Richard Thomson MP
Baroness Pola Uddin
Rt Hon. Valerie Vaz MP
Rt Hon. Lord Norman Warner
Rt Hon. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
Lord Michael Watson of Invergowrie
Claudia Webbe MP
Dr Philippa Whitford MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Munira Wilson MP
Beth Winter MP
Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield
Mohammad Yasin MP