MP asks if Gaza deaths are ‘proportionate’ after Cameron Black challenges UK Government over response to attack on Israel
Sunak pressed on progress to ceasefire
TAN SNP MP called out David Cameron for his hypocrisy when discussing Gaza during his morning media round yesterday. The Foreign Secretary appeared on Sky News following a weekend where Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel after vowing retaliation for a deadly strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus. Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles
HE Prime Minister believes that it is “wrong” to compare Iran’s attempted attack on Israel with that country’s bombardment of Gaza over the last six months.
Rishi Sunak defended Israel in the House of Commons yesterday after the Iranian military attempted to bomb the country in retaliation for the attack on its consulate in Damascus at the start of the month, which killed 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
The UK diverted Royal Air Force planes from Romania to assist an international coalition which struck down Iranian drones before they were able to land attacks on Israel on Saturday night.
Iran backs anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in Palestine, Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as Shia militias in Iraq.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, it is widely expected to have been behind the bombing, for which Iran early on Sunday, according to Israeli estimates, with the US and UK helping to defend against the attack.
Asked by Sky’s Kay Burley about Israel’s attack on the consulate and whether this was “good judgement”, Cameron said: “That’s something the Israelis decided to do.
“I can completely understand the frustration the Israelis feel when they look at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and they look at the terrible things that they have done all over the world, including the support they give to Hamas. immediately vowed to take revenge.
Speaking after a statement on Britain’s involvement in the conflict in the Commons, Sunak’s official spokesperson said that it would be “wrong” to conflate Israel’s right to selfdefence – which is something the UK has stressed despite concern about the scale of the bombardment of Gaza – and Iran’s retaliation against the country.
Mhairi Black, the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader, said that Iran’s response was “disproportionate” but that so too was Israel’s response to Hamas’s attack on October 7.
She said: “These acts are no more than a cynical attempt to exploit the suffering, the pain and the turmoil being experienced by those people in Palestine right now.
“Whilst we rightly condemn the violent acts of Iran, so too must we condemn the violent acts of Israel.
“Listening to the interviews that he’s been giving, the Foreign Secretary is correct in his attempt to
“And of course Hamas were responsible for October 7 and that is where all of this begins, so you can completely understand the frustration.”
Pressed further on Iran’s “frustration” and retaliation at the attack on the consulate, Cameron said he would argue there is a “massive degree of difference” between the two events.
He said it was “reckless and dangerous” for Iran to launch an attack in the manner it did and added: “I think the whole world can uphold the principle of proportionality. But if 100 missiles in retaliation to an isolated attack on an embassy is, correctly, constitutes as disproportionate, then so too must Israel’s 192day bombardment of Gaza.”
She said that Tehran was intent on bringing about “as much instability as possible” in the Middle East, but said there was “not going to be a military solution to the conflict in the Middle East”. The MP called for a “political and diplomatic” response, adding: “We need de-escalating and the causes of conflict to be reviewed. Now the biggest continuing cause of conflict is the siege of Gaza, hence the need for a ceasefire.
“So can the Prime Minister outline what he is doing to ensure that the UN Security Council mandated ceasefire becomes a reality?” Sunak said: “First of all it’s important not to try and draw any equivalence between Israel’s absolute right, indeed duty, to provide security for its citizens in the face of an appalling see, all these countries that have somehow wondered, you know, what is the true nature of Iran, it’s there in black and white.”
Cameron was then asked how the UK would respond if one of its consulates was attacked, to which he said, “we would take very strong action”.
He then said there could have been “thousands of casualties” had the weapons not been shot down, although he conceded “countries have a right to respond when they feel they’ve suffered an aggression”. terrorist atrocity, and indeed what happened over the weekend, these things are just not remotely the same.
“More broadly though, as I’ve said repeatedly from this despatch box, [we] urge Israel to abide by international humanitarian law, we’ve been very clear that too many civilians have been killed and we’re deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza and our
diplomatic efforts are geared towards alleviating that suffering and I’ll continue to raise these points with prime minister Netanyahu.
“But as I’ve said, drawing equivalence between these two things is absolutely the not right thing to do.”
The PM also said the UK will “continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners” following the escalation.