LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has described the situation in Gaza as “horrific”. He also said the UK must take stronger and faster action over the crisis.
Miliband made the comments after meeting people who have worked in Gaza and remain in contact with those on the ground. He said their accounts showed the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
Miliband said people in Gaza face severe shortages of essential medicines. He also said children were dying while waiting for vital medical treatment.
The foreign secretary said these reports had strengthened his view that Britain must do more.
“The situation is horrific,” Miliband said in a video released by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
He added that the British government must “act more decisively” than it has done so far.
UK considers tougher action
Miliband has also confirmed that Britain is considering stronger measures against Israel.
The government plans to introduce a wider package of sanctions in the coming weeks. The measures could focus on Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
Miliband told British MPs that the government was reviewing its wider economic ties linked to the occupied Palestinian territories.
He said Britain would consider all available tools to put pressure on Israel.
The foreign secretary also criticised Israel’s plans for the E1 area near Jerusalem. He warned that the project could threaten the future of a Palestinian state.
The proposed development would connect Jerusalem with the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. Palestinians fear that the project would divide parts of the West Bank and make a future Palestinian state harder to establish.
Miliband said the UK would not accept actions that could destroy the two-state solution.
He also said British companies should not finance, build or promote new Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel warns Britain
Miliband’s comments have further strained relations between London and Tel Aviv.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned Britain against imposing new sanctions. He said Israel would respond if Britain takes action against it.
Sa’ar accused the Labour government of following a policy that increasingly targets Israel.
He said Israel was already facing restrictions on some defence exports and sanctions against Israeli ministers.
Israel has also considered removing British officials from the International Gaza Support Center. The centre operates under a US-led framework linked to monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.
Reports also suggest that Israel could consider similar action against officials from Italy and Germany.
Pressure grows inside Britain
The British government faces pressure from both Jewish and Palestinian groups.
Several major Jewish organisations have opposed measures such as a ban on goods from Israeli settlements. They have warned that sanctions could have a negative effect on British Jews.
Other Jewish organisations, however, have called for stronger action against Israel.
They argue that British Jewish opinion is diverse and that no single group speaks for all Jews in Britain.
Palestinian and Muslim organisations have also urged the government to act quickly.
The Labour Muslim Network and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians have called for stronger economic and diplomatic pressure.
They have pointed to settlement expansion, settler violence and the displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Miliband’s remarks suggest that Britain’s policy towards Israel may be entering a new phase. The key question now is whether the government will turn its tougher language into concrete diplomatic and economic measures.
