Kearns: Israel governmentās lost āmoral authorityā
Kearns: Israeli government has ālost the moral authorityā
The Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, has told Ö÷²„“óŠć HARDtalk that āIsrael is a partner and a staunch ally. But this specific government in Israel can be a partner on some issues, but there are also times when as a partner you have to be a critical friend.ā
āThe current Israeli government are the ones who have lost the moral authority because of the way they have chosen to speak about [the war] and the way they have chosen to pursue it.ā
Questioned by HARDtalkās Stephen Sackur as to how the UK government should respond to any policy of āvoluntary migrationā for Palestinians living in the Gaza strip (a move advocated by some Israeli ministers), Ms Kearns said āIf that was in any way to look like a formal policy, we would have to act in some way because it would be a forced displacement.ā
Asked whether there had been a certain fear of confronting Israel within the British government, Ms Kearns said āI donāt think itās unique to the British government, I think within the Westā¦ because Israel/Gaza is such a complicated issue and there is no one right history, there is no black and white to this.ā
āPeople have searched for an absolute dichotomy. They want to be certain because the psychological confusionā¦ the reality of most foreign affairs makes people feel uneasyā¦ so they do force themselves to these two extremes.
āAnd you have seen governments around the world do that. Youāve got some governments who, the way they speak about Israel is outrageous, the way they talk about Israelās future, absolutely appalling.
āBut then youāve got some governmentās who arenāt willing to be a critical friend when actually that is what our role is to be towards our allies.ā
Approximately 1,200 people were killed when Hamas (a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and other countries) attacked southern Israel on October 7th, 2023. The Hamas-run health ministry has said more than 23,200 people have been killed in the Gaza since the start of the Israelās subsequent bombardment.
