BYM criticises prime minister on Palestine
‘The UK government could be a bastion of international law and human rights – but instead it is undermining international criminal proceedings and standing in the way of justice.’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has joined other UK charities in criticising the prime minister for opposing an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into alleged grave crimes committed in occupied Palestine.
Boris Johnson first announced his opposition to the investigation in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel lobby group in the UK.
The statement ‘condemns’ the prime minister’s stance on the inquiry, which was launched last month. The ICC’s investigation ‘is bringing victims, survivors and their families one step closer to justice – but political interference by states, such as the UK, risks pushing that out of reach’, it says.
‘The investigation is the first genuine hope that alleged perpetrators of the most serious crimes will be held to account for their actions’, the statement goes on.
‘The UK government could be a bastion of international law and human rights – but instead it is undermining international criminal proceedings and standing in the way of justice.’
In a statement posted on its website, the diplomatic mission of Palestine in the UK said the letter was ‘deeply regrettable’ and ‘marks a low point in UK-Palestine relations and undermines the UK’s credibility on the international stage’.
The investigation into alleged atrocities in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip is expected to cover the 2014 Gaza war, the 2018 Gaza border clashes, and Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.
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