UK Muslim group welcomes suspension of trade talks with Israel
'UK must now take further steps, including immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel, recognition of independent Palestinian State,' says Muslim Council of Britain
LONDON
The Muslim Council of Britain on Tuesday welcomed the government's announcement to suspend trade talks with the Israeli government over the ongoing "intolerable" situation in the Gaza Strip.
"This is a necessary and overdue response to the grave and ongoing violations of international law in Gaza," Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, the group’s assistant secretary-general, said in a statement.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Tuesday announced the British government had suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement.
Stressing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government’s actions "have made this necessary," Lammy also said they summoned the Israeli ambassador over the "intolerable" offensive in Gaza.
Though welcoming the announcement, Al-Dabbagh also said the UK must do more in the face of crippling humanitarian situation in the strip.
"The UK must now take further steps, including the immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel and the recognition of an independent Palestinian State," he said.
"Meaningful action is needed to end the suffering of Palestinians and hold the Netanyahu government and his allies to account."
The Israeli army resumed its assaults on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 3,427 people and injured 9,647 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January, and adding to the overall death toll since October 2023 of some 53,000 people.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
