Cameron in aid warning to Israeli minister Gantz
FOREIGN Secretary Lord David Cameron met with Israeli minister Benny Gantz about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The unelected Tory peer and former prime minister said ensuring the availability of aid in Gaza would be a factor when the UK assesses whether Israel is acting in line with international law.
Gantz, a former general, is a domestic political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but was drafted in to the war cabinet formed in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Following their meeting, Cameron said: “Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. In my meeting with Israeli minister Benny Gantz today, we discussed efforts to secure a humanitarian pause to get the hostages safely home and lifesaving supplies into Gaza.
“I once again pressed Israel to increase the flow of aid. We are still not seeing improvements on the ground. This must change.”
Cameron set out the UK’s call for an immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting, increased capacity for aid distribution within Gaza and government, not a thing at all.” At this point he was interrupted by jeers from SNP MPs.
“No absolutely not,” he continued. “Departmental spending – and this is the point the SNP don’t acknowledge – departmental spending throughout this parliament has grown by 3.2% on average. That’s the simple truth.”
Austerity was the flagship economic programme of the coalition government when the Conservatives returned to power in 2010 in the wake of the financial crash.
Tory and LibDem ministers slashed public spending in the years that followed. Spending fell in real terms in areas such as social security under the watch of David Cameron and his chancellor George Osborne, the architects of the austerity programme.
While public spending has increased in recent years, critics say this is insufficient to cover what was cut during the years of austerity. greater access for supplies through both land and maritime routes.
He also called for a wider variety of aid items to be allowed into Gaza, including shelters and items critical to repair the infrastructure destroyed during the Israeli military campaign.
Cameron described Israel as an “occupying power” in Gaza.
In a warning about the UK’s position on the Gaza conflict, Cameron said: “The UK supports Israel’s right to self-defence. But as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure aid is available for civilians.
“That responsibility has consequences, including when we as the UK assess whether Israel is compliant with international humanitarian law.”
He said that the UK was “deeply concerned” about the prospect of a military offensive in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza close to the border with Egypt which is providing shelter to more than a million people displaced by the violence.