Several Labour MPs raised concerns over the UK’s stance towards Israel on Thursday, accusing the government of double standards as they called for further sanctions in light of recent attacks on Gaza.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that the resumption of Israeli military action in Gaza had resulted in an “appalling loss of life”, and said the UK is working with France and Germany to send Israel a “clear message” that they “strongly oppose” the resumption of hostilities. It appeared that the beleaguered Foreign Secretary had been sent to make a statement on Gaza by No 10 Downing Street to placate the anger of Labour backbenchers fed up with the government’s position on Israel.
But he faced stinging criticism of the UK’s failure to censure Israel for restarting the war and was heckled by some opposition MPs as he stopped short of repeating his previous remarks that there had been a “breach of international law” by Israel – he instead said the UK government believes there is a “clear risk” of this happening. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the past 48 hours, more than half of them women and children, a Gaza health official told Reuters.
Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, said: “The double standards and injustice we are witnessing on the international stage is truly appalling. It’s obvious that Israel is breaking international law as every serious legal expert on international law has pointed out.
“It’s shameful, frankly, that the government refuses to state that about Israel, but will likely do so about Russia’s violation in Ukraine, and I say to the Foreign Secretary, the concern and outrage he expresses at the despatch box is not ending the bloodshed. When will we get the scale of sanctions on Israel that its war crimes demand?”
Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: “The renewed bombing in Gaza cannot be justified, the renewed siege of Gaza cannot be justified. And it is difficult to see how either of those is compatible with international law. It will be for a court to decide and there will be a reckoning.”
Kit Malthouse, a former Conservative cabinet minister, told the Foreign Secretary that the “Israelis have now crossed a monstrous red line”. He added: “This morning, ministers were out on the airwaves offering British troops to keep the peace between Ukraine and Russia. What is it about the Palestinian people that means they’re less deserving of that kind of protection?”
Much of the anger was directed at Mr Lammy himself after he told parliament on Monday that Israel’s action in cutting off aid to Gaza amounted to a breach of international law. He was later corrected by Downing Street, which caveated his statement with the words “at clear risk”, a phrase Mr Lammy repeated frequently after he was sent to the Commons to make amends.
“It's difficult to see how denying humanitarian assistance to a civilian population can be compatible with international humanitarian law, though it's important to say I could have been a little clearer in the House on Monday," he told MPs. "But our position remains that Israel's actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law.”
At times he was emotional in condemning Israel's conduct, stating in reference to the estimated 59 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza that military action “is not the way to bring them home” and saying the 49,000 Palestinian deaths were "staggering ... staggering". He said that “darkness has returned” to the region and that “days of death, deprivation and destruction” lay ahead if Israel continued its attacks.
But evidence of Britain’s diminished influence came as Mr Lammy was reduced to announcing that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, would very soon land in Israel to resume talks on a ceasefire. At one moment during the debate he dramatically announced that Hamas had fired missiles towards Tel Aviv “and sirens are going off as I speak”.
Mr Lammy then stressed that he would in a “matter of hours” be speaking to his Israeli counterpart, the hardliner Gideon Saar, to try to persuade him that the conflict “cannot be resolved by military means”. He urged Israel and Hamas to extend the "phase one" of prisoner and hostage exchanges to the end of Ramadan, adding that he would also speak with the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
He also added that humanitarian aid “should never be used as a political tool and Israel must restart the aid immediately”. At one point after Mr Lammy was asked to account for the 400 people killed, more than 170 of them children, in recent strikes, an MP repeatedly shouted “babies” during his response.
The attack came from Brendan O’Hara, of the Scottish National Party, who stated that Israel understood after 17 months of war it could “act with impunity”, killing civilians in tents who were “mostly babies and toddlers”, knowing that there would be “absolutely no consequence”.
“Can the Foreign Secretary think of any other conflict where the UK accepted one of its closest allies designating babies and toddlers as legitimate targets?” he asked. Mr Lammy replied that there were “atrocities on both sides” and what was now required was “more light and less heat”, as Mr O’Hara repeatedly heckled him with the words “children” and “babies”.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
HOW TO WATCH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
