Lammy criticises Cameron over Israel sanction remarks

David Lammy has criticised his predecessor Lord Cameron for speaking about bringing sanctions against far-right Israeli ministers that he “didn’t do” when in office.

The current foreign secretary was pressed on whether the government planned to bring sanctions Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over incendiary comments about the war in Gaza.

Emily Thornberry MP, now chair of the foreign affairs select committee, told MPs in the Commons that she understood why forthcoming sanctions were kept under review by governments, but noted:”Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton tells us that before the last general election the foreign office were working up sanctions against the two most controversial government ministers.”

Thornberry then asked Lammy:”I wonder if he might be in a position to tell us when a decision might be made about these two, or if a decision has already been made?”

Responding Lammy said:”I think the previous foreign secretary was wrong to talk about particular sanctions under consideration while in office, and then didn’t do.”

He said he would not be “drawn on sanctions policy from this dispatch box” but had noted the strength of feeling for bringing sanctions against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir from many MPs.

Former Conservative foreign secretary Cameron said before the election he had been “working up” plans to put sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir during a Radio 4 Today interview.

He described the two men as “extremist” and said using sanctions would send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “this is not good enough and has to stop”.

Cameron said both men had “said things like encouraging people to stop aid convoys going into Gaza, they have encouraged extreme settlers in the West Bank with the appalling things they have been carrying out”.

The UK will “stand opposed” to annexation of Palestinian territory by Israel, Foreign Secretary Lammy said.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller told MPs: “The comments last week by Finance Minister Smotrich, advocating the annexation of the West Bank, together with continuing devastation in northern Gaza, have reinforced that elements of the Israeli cabinet have no interest in a two-state solution.

“There is now a real and imminent risk that the extremists in the Israeli cabinet will succeed in annexing Palestinian Territories before any negotiations can take place. So in light of this, does the Foreign Secretary agree that now is the time to recognise Palestine?”

Lammy replied: “Annexation would be illegal and we would stand opposed to it. I want to make that fundamentally clear.”