Israel’s defence minister could face UK sanctions over a proposal to force Palestinians into a closed section of the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Secretary has hinted.
David Lammy has condemned defence minister Israel Katz, who has reportedly put forward plans to move 600,000 Palestinians to a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, Gaza’s now largely destroyed southern-most city.
They would then be prevented from leaving, with the aim being to eventually move the entire population to the city.
He told the Commons International Development Committee on Wednesday that “no defence minister should be talking about effectively holding people, unable to leave, presumably, in the manner in which he described”.
Asked whether Mr Katz would be sanctioned, as other Israeli ministers had been over comments inciting violence against Palestinians, Mr Lammy told the committee he could not comment on future sanctions.
But he added: “You will have heard my statement about Minister Katz and you will have heard my statements previously about ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, and then the decision that I took.”
The UK sanctioned Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich “in their personal capacity” in June, citing their “repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians”.
Prior to those sanctions, Mr Lammy had described comments by Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich on Palestinian “emigration” from Gaza as “dangerous, extreme and totally wrong”.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway also sanctioned the two men at the same time, but the decision brought criticism from US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who said it did not “advance” efforts to secure a ceasefire.
Last week, Mr Lammy told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that the Government could take further action against Israel if a ceasefire in Gaza was not achieved.
On Wednesday, Mr Lammy also stressed the Government’s opposition to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has replaced UN aid distribution centres with just four sites in militarised zones run by private security contractors.
Hundreds of Palestinians are reported to have been killed or wounded while seeking aid at GHF sites.
Mr Lammy told the International Development Committee the GHF system “must not set a precedent” and was “outwith of global norms and rules that we all signed up to after the Second World War” as he called for more aid trucks to be allowed into Gaza.
