Israel risks breaking law with its ‘killing rage’, says Ben Wallace
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Israel risks losing legal authority for its war in Gaza by going on a crude and indiscriminate “killing rage” against the Palestinian people, Ben Wallace warns today.
The former defence secretary warns the country’s tactics will “fuel the conflict for another 50 years” and will radicalise young Muslims across the world.
His comments, made in an article for the Daily Telegraph, come amid a shift in tone from Britain and the West toward Israel as the death toll in Gaza spirals.
Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, joined with his German counterpart to call for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the territory, adding that “too many civilians have been killed”. Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said the approach would mean “hostages released, rockets stop flowing and there’s actually a political process in place to make sure that we get to the day after”.
But Mr Wallace warns that Benjamin Netanyahu is risking breaking the Geneva Convention and undermining Israel’s legal case for the war – that it is acting in self-defence.
“Going after Hamas is legitimate; obliterating vast swathes of Gaza is not,” he said. “Using proportionate force is legal but collective punishment and forced movement of civilians is not.
“We are entering a dangerous period now where Israel’s original legal authority of self-defence is being undermined by its own actions. It is making the mistake of losing its moral authority alongside its legal one.”
Mr Wallace said the current generation of Israeli politicians were acting like a “bull in a China shop”, and said the hardline Israeli prime minister was “losing sight of the long term” because his government missed the Hamas attack in the first place.
“But if he thinks a killing rage will rectify matters, then he is very wrong,” he said. “His methods will not solve this problem.
“In fact, I believe his tactics will fuel the conflict for another 50 years. His actions are radicalising Muslim youth across the globe.”
The former defence secretary added: “Before anyone says I am calling for a ceasefire with Hamas – I am not. You can’t have a ceasefire with Hamas unless they are prepared to declare one; even then they would have to pledge to modify their charter to do so.
“What I am saying is Israel needs to stop this crude and indiscriminate method of attack. And it needs to combat Hamas differently.”
He urged Israel to learn from the British experience in Northern Ireland, which proved that “as sure as night follows day, history shows us that radicalisation follows oppression”.
“Northern Ireland internment taught us that a disproportionate response by the state can serve as a terrorist organisation’s best recruiting sergeant,” he says. “For many, watching the events in Gaza unfold each day, makes us more and more uncomfortable.”
The comments came amid increasing concern at the death toll in Gaza from the US, the UK, Germany and France.
While Western leaders still support Israel’s right to defend itself by targeting Hamas, they are concerned at the disproportionate use of violence, which they suspect risks breaking international law.
Yesterday it emerged the US will push Israel to conduct “small-scale” raids against Hamas instead of its major ground and air offensive.
Lloyd J Austin III, the US defence secretary, is set to meet with Mr Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, this week to discuss a new phase of the conflict.
According to US officials, this would involve smaller groups of elite forces conducting more precise intelligence-driven missions to kill Hamas leaders and rescue the hostages.
Mr Austin is still expected to reiterate support for Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas, but also restate the importance of civilian safety and the need to increase humanitarian assistance.
It echoes comments made by Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, who last week said there would be a transition to another phase of the war that is focused in “more precise ways”.
The change in the American stance came as Lord Cameron unveiled a change of heart in the British position.
‘We support a sustainable ceasefire’
In a joint article in The Sunday Times with Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, he called for “peace lasting for days, years, generations,” adding that “too many civilians have been killed.”
“Only extremists like Hamas want us stuck in an endless cycle of violence, sacrificing more innocent lives for their fanatical ideology,” they wrote.
“But our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations. We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable.”
‘Israel needs to exercise restraint’
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, said the government did not believe Israel had gone “too far” – but wanted it to “exercise restraint”.
“I wouldn’t characterise it as Israel going too far,” he said. “Israel is dealing with a very difficult situation…
“If you’re going after an enemy that literally hides underneath hospitals, hides amongst the civilian population, you are going to sustain high levels of civilian casualties.”
He added: “What we as a UK Government is saying is, Israel, you do need to exercise restraint.”
‘Too many civilians are being killed’
On Sunday, Catherine Colonna, the French foreign minister, called for an “immediate and durable” truce in the war with Hamas.
On a visit to Israel, she said: “Too many civilians are being killed” and added that Paris was “deeply concerned” over the situation in Gaza.
Netanyahu has ‘lost the trust of the world’
Yair Lapid, Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister, called for Mr Netanyahu to step down, saying: “We have a prime minister who lost the trust of the people, lost the trust of the world and lost the trust of the security establishment.”
It came as the Israeli army claimed it had uncovered the largest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far. The underground passage formed part of a wider network that stretched for over 2.5 miles, it said.
