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Gaza Tribunal Hears Claims UK Ignored Duty to Prevent Genocide

Organisers plan to deliver a report to the foreign secretary after two days of testimony detailing alleged UK failures on Gaza.

Overview

  • The independent two-day hearing in London closed with witnesses alleging the UK failed its obligation to prevent genocide and participated in Israeli breaches of humanitarian law.
  • Former Foreign Office diplomat Mark Smith testified that officials discouraged written records and pressed him to soften assessments of civilian harm in arms export reviews.
  • Tribunal chair Jeremy Corbyn said he will compile the evidence with legal experts and seek a meeting to present the report to Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
  • A lawyer for Al-Haq said the Foreign Office routed alleged war crimes back to Israeli authorities and, of 413 incidents reviewed by September 2024, identified only one possible violation involving World Central Kitchen.
  • Other allegations included RAF crews at Akrotiri sharing real-time intelligence with the IDF, as unions and campaigners urged broader action beyond the limited export licence revocations Lammy announced last year.