Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says Israel committing 'genocide' for first time
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says Israel committing 'genocide' for first time
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third largest party in the British parliament, has accused Israel of committing genocide for the first time.
Ed Davey, who represents Kingston and Surbiton, made the statement after the UN’s top investigative body on Palestine and Israel ruled on Tuesday that Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza, in the most authoritative pronouncement to date.
He made the comments while justifying his decision to boycott the royal banquet for Wednesday night in honour of visiting US President Donald Trump, in protest over his support for Israel's war.
Speaking on LBC on Tuesday night, Davey said: "Well now we've seen this UN report. We've been looking at the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
"We've been looking at Israeli organisations like B'TSelem. They have all said there's a genocide. And I say with them, there is a genocide."
The 72-page report by the UN commission of inquiry on Palestine and Israel found that Israel has committed four of the five acts prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and that Israeli leaders had the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group.
A Foreign Office spokesperson, responding to the UN report, told MEE on Tuesday that "any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred should be made following a judgment by a competent national or international court.
"But as we’ve made extremely clear - what is happening in Gaza is appalling and we continue to call on Israel to change course immediately by halting its ground offensive and letting in a surge of humanitarian aid without delay."
Boycotting state banquet
Davey told LBC that "given President Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, he should stop [the genocide].
"He can stop it, and one of the reasons I'm not going to the banquet... is not only would I not get a chance to speak to President Trump, that's not how they work, but I wanted the media discussions over his state visit to focus on the fact that he has the power to stop it.
"He can ring up Netanyahu and demand a ceasefire, demand that the food gets in to those innocent Palestinians.
"And he could ring up the Qatari government and other Gulf states, so they'll put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages."
Last week Israel tried and failed to assassinate Hamas' negotiating team in Doha in an unprecedented attack on Qatar.
Davey previously said it went against his "instincts" to reject an invitation from the king to the banquet, but his Christian faith impacted his decision not to go.
The Lib Dem leader has regularly spoken about Gaza in parliament, urging the Labour government to apply more pressure on Israel.
Last September, the Liberal Democrats called for a full arms embargo on Israel, becoming the largest British party in terms of parliamentary seats to do so.
