This week’s political shows were dominated by the Israel-Palestine conflict, as Israel prepares for a land, sea and air assault on Gaza. Israel has said it will not supply water, fuel or electricity to the region unless Hamas releases its hostages and has instructed the people of Gaza to head south to avoid the imminent attack. A humanitarian disaster looms in an already densely populated area, and Victoria Derbyshire asked Israeli government adviser Mark Regev to respond to allegations that the actions of Israel could be breaking international humanitarian law and even amount to war crimes. Regev denied the allegations but he implied that Israel would target civilian zones because Hamas ‘has built its military infrastructure underneath urban areas’.
‘Horror, carnage’ in Gaza
Derbyshire also spoke to the head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, Husam Zomlot, who refuted Regev’s suggestions that Israel was following international law. Zomlot claimed Regev was lying, that Israel had deliberately targeted hospitals and schools, and described horrific conditions in Gaza, with people crammed in small houses, running out of medicine and food. He also said Israel’s plan to wipe out Hamas ‘can’t work’ and that ‘there is no military solution’ to the conflict.
‘Israel has the right to defend itself’
The UK government’s position is to denounce the Hamas massacre and stand with Israel. Derbyshire asked Foreign Secretary James Cleverly if he was worried about the Palestinians being bombed by Israel, who replied that he was worried about the loss life but said the situation in Gaza was caused in ‘very large part by the decisions made by Hamas’. Cleverly repeated that Israel has ‘the right to protect itself from terrorist attacks’, but said he had stressed the duty to minimise civilian casualties in every conversation he had with the Israeli government.
‘There has to be humanitarian access’
Trevor Phillips asked Labour’s David Lammy if he agreed with Keir Starmer’s remarks earlier this week that Israel had ‘the right to withhold water and power from Gaza’. Lammy said Starmer ‘is a human rights lawyer’, but seemed to disagree with him, suggesting Labour’s position was ‘crystal clear’ that there must be access to water, food and medicine. When pushed on whether he thought Israel’s actions were wrong, Lammy said he would not be an ‘armchair general’ but did admit he was concerned at the idea that people in Gaza might have to evacuate hospitals.
Humza Yousaf – ‘I pray to God my in-laws get out’
And finally, an emotional First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf has family trapped in Gaza. He described how his mother-in-law had called at night thinking an airstrike was imminent and was running out of food. He denounced the actions of Hamas but claimed they could not justify cutting off supplies to the region. Yousaf urged that we focus on the humanity and the suffering of the people of Gaza.
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