'Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza,' UK government concludes [View all]

The British Government has determined that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the chair of the international development committee in a letter on September 1.

This differs significantly from the government's previous position, which was that only courts can decide whether Israel is or is not committing genocide. It also marks the first time the UK government has stated explicitly that Israel's actions in Gaza do not count as genocide.

In the letter to Sarah Champion, Lammy, who was the foreign secretary at the time of writing, acknowledged that the UK government has the duty to prevent genocide under Article I of the Genocide Convention (1948) if it believes there is a serious risk of genocide occurring. This position is in line with the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-866809