The letter, sent to Starmer on Thursday, describes Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal. Lead signatory Adnan Hussain, an independent MP, said the letter requested that the government “act urgently in the face of genocide in Gaza”.
It has been signed by every member of the parliamentary Independent Alliance, as well as some Green Party and Scottish National Party MPs.
The letter is also signed by Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed, who sits on parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which scrutinises foreign policy.
Those behind the letter say that since Britain is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, it “has a clear and binding legal obligation to prevent genocide wherever it occurs”.
The letter calls on the government to “immediately expel the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom as a signal that the UK will not tolerate the continued defiance of international law and the perpetuation of mass atrocities”.
The signatories to Thursday’s letter further urge the government to “enforce and support international sanctions on Israel”, lead an international effort “to deliver immediate and unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza” and support the International Criminal Court’s investigations.
The letter expresses “horror'” at the Israeli government’s “intentions to carry out a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip”.
‘This declaration is the latest escalation in a campaign that has already led to the near-total destruction of Gaza,” it says.
“The government cannot continue to provide political cover or military support, directly and indirectly, to actions that amount to genocide.”
“We make this statement not only as members of Parliament but as human beings. Our silence or inaction in the face of genocide is not neutrality, it is complicity,” it adds.
