UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy suggested he’s considering imposing sanctions on Israel’s defense minister over his proposal to move Palestinians in Gaza to a “humanitarian city” in Rafah, in the latest sign of growing tensions between European governments and Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.
Israel Katz told journalists last week that he instructed the military to prepare to establish a camp built in the ruins of the city, Israeli media reported. He said Palestinians would be brought inside after security screening to ensure they were not Hamas operatives, and that they would not be allowed to leave, according to the reports. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert told the Guardian that the plan is comparable to a “concentration camp.”
“No defense minister should be talking about effectively holding people, unable to leave presumably, in the manner in which he described and I condemn them in the strongest terms,” Lammy told parliament’s International Development Committee on Wednesday. He said he “can’t comment on sanctions that are under consideration” when asked if he would punish Katz, but pointed to similar comments he made in condemnation of other Israeli ministers before he moved to sanction them.
Israel’s defense ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The remarks highlight a hardening of the approach taken toward Israel over its military action in Gaza by the UK and other western allies in recent months. Last month, the UK government and those of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned two Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence against Palestinian communities. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later rebuked the five allies over the move, saying the sanctions don’t advance US efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
Britain has also paused free trade talks with Israel, while several European nations are considering trade sanctions and curbs on arms sales as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deteriorates and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank continues. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in May said there is “a strong majority” in favor of reviewing the bloc’s trade agreement with Israel, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany — one of Israel’s main arms suppliers — is considering restrictions on military exports.
The UK is also considering joining other allies in recognizing the state of Palestine, pushed for by French President Emmanuel Macron. Lammy has said that while the UK is committed to recognition, the government is still debating when and how it takes place. He’s cautioned that despite some European nations already recognizing a Palestinian state the situation on the ground has deteriorated rather than improved.
In a May 21 news conference, Netanyahu noted growing international concern, including among Israel’s closest friends, about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and unveiled his government’s three-stage plan to address this. The third stage, he said, would be to create a “sterile zone” in the south of the Gaza Strip “to which the civilian population will be evacuated from the combat zones.”
Katz said construction of the facility would begin during a 60-day ceasefire that is currently being negotiated between Israel and Hamas. There’s little sign Hamas and Israel are close to agreeing a truce and the sides remain divided over issues such as whether the Palestinian militant group will disarm.
