This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67745408

The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 7 Version 8
Israel has gone beyond self-defence in Gaza, Tory MP Alicia Kearns says Israel has gone beyond self-defence in Gaza, Tory MP Alicia Kearns says
(about 2 hours later)
Israel has "gone beyond self-defence" in the Gaza war and lost its moral authority, senior Conservative MP Alicia Kearns has said. Several senior Conservatives have urged Israel to show restraint in recent days
Ms Kearns said she believed Israel had broken humanitarian law in Gaza. Israel has "gone beyond self-defence" and lost the moral authority in its war with Hamas, the chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee has said.
She said she agreed with former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who has warned Israel risks fuelling the conflict. Tory MP Alicia Kearns told the BBC she thinks Israel has broken international law and risks increasing support for Hamas among Palestinians.
In a Daily Telegraph article, Mr Wallace said Israel's legal basis for military action in Gaza was "being undermined" by its tactics. She said: "Bombs don't obliterate an ideology and neither can a stable state be constructed from oblivion."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the war will be fought until Hamas is dismantled in Gaza. Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also criticised Israel's tactics.
The Israeli offensive, which followed the deadly 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, has seen much of northern Gaza flattened and 85% of the territory's 2.3 million population driven from their homes. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said Israel's legal basis for military action in Gaza was "being undermined" and warned its government was "making the mistake of losing its moral authority alongside its legal one".
Asked if she agreed with Mr Wallace that Israel has damaged its standing with its conduct in Gaza, Ms Kearns told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "I think unfortunately it has.
"International humanitarian law in my view has been broken."
Why are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?Why are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?
Lucy Williamson: West Bank uprising can still be avoidedLucy Williamson: West Bank uprising can still be avoided
Mr Wallace said Israel was "making the mistake of losing its moral authority alongside its legal one". LIVE: Latest updates from the conflict
When asked if she agreed with Mr Wallace on this point, Ms Kearns told the BBC: "I think unfortunately it has. International humanitarian law in my view has been broken." She said a truce that could be turned into a lasting ceasefire should be pursued, rather than a focus on the eradication of Hamas - which which Israel, the UK, US and some other Western powers class as a terrorist organisation.
She said a truce that could be turned into a lasting ceasefire should be pursued, rather than a focus on the eradication of Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted operations, which were launched when Hamas carried out an unprecedented assault on Israel on 7 October, will continue until the group is dismantled.
"Hamas is an ideology which recruits into its membership," said Ms Kearns, the chairwoman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. An estimated 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas, and despite some being returned during a temporary truce, about 120 are still thought to be inside Gaza.
"Bombs don't obliterate an ideology and neither can a stable state be constructed from oblivion." Ms Kearns - who chairs the committee of MPs tasked with holding the Foreign Office to account - warned Israel could inadvertently increase support for Hamas among Palestinians.
The interventions by Ms Kearns and Mr Wallace, who was defence secretary under three prime ministers until August, comes amid growing international pressure over the scale of civilian casualties. She said: "Hamas is an ideology which recruits into its membership."
Asked for his response to Mr Wallace's article, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed that Israel had the right to defend itself "against what was an appalling terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas". An opinion poll carried out between 22 November and 2 December by a respected Palestinian think tank, the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, found that support for Hamas had more than tripled in the occupied West Bank compared to three months ago.
"But it must do that in accordance with humanitarian law. It's clear that too many civilian lives have been lost and nobody wants to see this conflict go on a day longer than it has to," he told reporters during a visit to Scotland.
"That's why we've been consistent...in calling for a sustainable ceasefire, whereby hostages are released, rockets stop being fired into Israel by Hamas and we continue to get more aid in."
Mr Wallace said he was not calling for a ceasefire with Hamas, but warned Israel needed to stop its "crude and indiscriminate method of attack" in the Gaza Strip.
He said he believed the tactics of Mr Netanyahu would "fuel the conflict for another 50 years".
"His actions are radicalising Muslim youth across the globe," he added.
An estimated 240 people were taken hostage from Israel by Hamas and despite some hostages being returned during a temporary truce, about 120 people are believed to still be held in the Gaza Strip.
Mr Netanyahu has said "military pressure is necessary both for the return of hostages and for victory".
Last week, he said Israel would continue "to the end" despite international pressure.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza more than 18,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its retaliatory campaign.
In response to the former defence secretary's remarks, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy told the BBC Mr Wallace's choice of words were "unfortunate language".
He said Israel was targeting those who carried out the 7 October attack and was putting in place "unprecedented measures to get civilians out of harm's way".
"What will radicalise a new generation is if the terrorists who burned people alive, and tortured children in front of their parents, and raped Israeli women and girls, literally get away with murder," Mr Levy said.
However, Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, accused the Israeli army of normalising "the mass murder of children, [and] women" and "the mass destruction of hospitals, schools, churches, mosques".
'Recruiting sergeant'
A two-state solution - which is supported by the UK government and other international powers - would see Israel and the Palestinians live peacefully in separate states.
In his article Mr Wallace described lessons learnt from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and wrote that actions such as internment "taught us that a disproportionate response by the state can serve as a terrorist organisation's best recruiting sergeant".
An opinion poll carried out between 22 November and 2 December by a respected Palestinian think-tank, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), found that support for Hamas had more than tripled in the occupied West Bank compared to three months ago.
Supporters of Hamas were still in a minority, but 70% of the respondents said armed struggle was the best means of ending the Israeli occupation.Supporters of Hamas were still in a minority, but 70% of the respondents said armed struggle was the best means of ending the Israeli occupation.
Israel has carried out air strikes and land operations against targets in Gaza
Israel has come under growing international pressure over the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza, which Hamas-controlled authorities put at more than 18,000.
The same authorities claimed 110 people were killed on Sunday in Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, which had been the largest settlement for displaced people prior to the current fighting.
The retaliatory Israeli offensive has seen much of northern Gaza damaged and 85% of the territory's 2.3 million population driven from their homes.
On Sunday, the UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron signalled a shift in tone from the government by calling for a "sustainable ceasefire" - echoing a form of words Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used in the Commons last week.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the foreign secretary said: "Our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations."
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Scotland on Monday, Mr Sunak called for Israel to respect humanitarian law, adding: "It's clear that too many civilian lives have been lost and nobody wants to see this conflict go on a day longer than it has to."
The government has consistently stopped short of calling for a full ceasefire, saying it respects Israel's right to self-defence.
The Israeli military said it located a large underground tunnel constructed by Hamas on Sunday
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy pushed back against Mr Wallace's criticism, describing his choice of words as "unfortunate language".
He told the BBC said allowing Hamas to "literally get away with murder" would be more likely to radicalise people than Israel's military tactics.
However, Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, accused the Israeli army of normalising "the mass murder of children, [and] women" and "the mass destruction of hospitals, schools, churches, mosques".
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Israel-Gaza warIsrael-Gaza war
Ben WallaceBen Wallace