The foreign secretary should ensure the UK is “on the right side of history” after the International Court of Justice ruling on the Israel-Hamas conflict, the SNP has said.
The UN court stopped short of ordering a ceasefire in Gaza in a ruling issued on Friday after a case brought by South Africa, but demanded Israel try to contain death and damage.
Now, the SNP has pushed for the UK government to apply pressure on the Netanyahu regime.
In a letter to Lord Cameron, Brendan O’Hara, the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman, said “one could argue that it needn’t take a ruling by a court to persuade a democratic, or morally sound, nation to take action to prevent genocide”.
He added: “I hope that the secretary of state will not need this letter to serve as a reminder of the legal obligations which now fall on the UK government, legal obligations which should have been moral obligations three months ago.”
Mr O’Hara urged the government to avoid giving Israel a “blank cheque”, adding that “we are past turning a blind eye”.
He said: “I urge the UK government to commit to standing with South Africa, on the right side of history.”
Mr O’Hara also called for the UK Government to “urge Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza”.
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