The British Government has determined that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the chair of the international development committee in a letter on September 1. This differs significantly from the government’s previous position, which was that only courts can decide whether Israel is or is not committing genocide. It also marks the first time the UK government has stated explicitly that Israel’s actions in Gaza do not count as genocide.
The convention states that “the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” “The Government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent,” Lammy stated.
