The UK, France and Canada have threatened ‘concrete actions’ against Israel, including sanctions for actions in Gaza and West Bank [Getty]
The leaders of Britain, France and Canada on Monday condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza and warned of joint action if it did not halt a heightened military offensive on the Palestinian territory.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed Israel’s blocking of aid and ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who have threatened the mass displacement of Palestinians.
“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
They did not say what action could be taken but added: “We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end.”
The statement coincided with a joint demand by 22 countries for Israel to immediately “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza”, noting that the territory’s population “faces starvation”.
The joint statement was released as the United Nations said nine aid trucks were authorised to enter Gaza, describing it as a “drop in the ocean” amid the territory’s humanitarian crisis.
The donors’ statement also sharply rejected a reported Israeli plan to replace the previous system of aid distribution in Gaza, which Israeli officials have accused of having ties to Hamas.
The statement demanded that Israel “enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives”.
“We also reiterate our firm message that Hamas must immediately release all remaining hostages and allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference,” the statement went on.
The statement was signed by Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
The statement was also backed by the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s commissioner in charge of crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, as well as Dubravka Suica, the commissioner for the Mediterranean.
Israel has kept Gaza in a total aid blockade since March 2, but announced on Monday it would allow a limited number of supply trucks.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said the limited aid access was because “images of mass starvation” in Gaza could hurt the legitimacy of his country’s war.
The statement by Britain, France and Canada said that Israel’s “denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law”.
It also slammed “abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate”.
The leaders said that “permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law”.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,486.
