'The Gaza Genocide and the Double Standards of the UK Government's Commitment to International Law'
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In a recent speech at Chatham House, the UK Attorney General, Richard Hermer, launched a principled defence of international law and attacked what he called the 'pick-and-mix' approach of those who seek to discard our principles whenever it is inconvenient.
His explicit targets were Conservative and Reform UK politicians who have attacked the UK's agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Indeed, he subsequently apologised to them for comparing their attitudes to those of the political theorist Carl Schmitt, who notoriously supported the Nazis - although on the merits, what he said was appropriate.
Hermer's credentials
Hermer is persistently targeted by the far right, particularly over the imprisonment of Lucy Connolly, the Conservative councillor's wife who tweeted in favour of burning down asylum hotels. Although the decision to prosecute was made by the Crown Prosecution Service and Connolly pleaded guilty, with her sentence decided by a judge, Conservative and Reform politicians have blamed Hermer. The opportunist Conservative leadership wannabe, Robert Jenrick, has also targeted him because of the individuals Hermer defended as a barrister.
Even the Trump-sympathetic wing of the Labour Party have Hermer in their sights too. In an extraordinary attack earlier this year, the 'Blue Labour' founder, Maurice Glasman, reported to be close to Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, told the New Statesman that Hermer was 'an arrogant progressive fool who thinks that law is a replacement for politics'. Hermer certainly came to office with progressive credentials. A Jewish lawyer who was critical of Israel before he joined the government 11 months ago, he told LBC on 28 October 2023 that 'it is almost impossible to conceive of how a siege that deprives a civilian population of the basic necessities of life… is in compliance with international law'.
After Nearly 600 Days the End of the Israel-Gaza War Looks as Far off as Ever
As the world continues to wring its hands, the suffering of the people at the heart of this conflict only continues to grow, writes Alexandra Hall Hall
Alexandra Hall Hall
UK support for Israel
19 months on, Hermer's rejection, at Chatham House, of the idea that Britain "should abandon the constraints of international law in favour of raw power" obviously brings to mind the Labour Government's complicity in the vastly greater crimes that Israel and the USA, two of its key allies, have since committed, and are still committing, in Gaza. Starmer and his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, both of them also lawyers, have been unusually critical of Israel in recent weeks. The Prime Minister even joined the French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian leader Mark Carney in denouncing Israel's denial of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza, promising "further concrete actions" if Israel continued. Yet this mystified observers, since few actions against Israel have been observed.
Despite occasional criticisms, most of the UK Government's "concrete" actions have effectively supported Israel's campaign. The UK signed a military cooperation agreement with Israel in 2020, when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister. Under this deal, the RAF has conducted very regular surveillance flights over Gaza since October 2023, apparently sharing information with Israel on the pretext of assisting them to rescue hostages held by Hamas. This claim has long been threadbare: it is obvious that Israel's main purpose is to assault Gaza's civilian population, despite the loss of hostage lives which this has caused, while spurning agreements to secure their release. Indeed, Israel has now clearly stated its intention to per...
For digital and print editions, packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, features, and columns….
SUBSCRIBE
In a recent speech at Chatham House, the UK Attorney General, Richard Hermer, launched a principled defence of international law and attacked what he called the 'pick-and-mix' approach of those who seek to discard our principles whenever it is inconvenient.
His explicit targets were Conservative and Reform UK politicians who have attacked the UK's agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Indeed, he subsequently apologised to them for comparing their attitudes to those of the political theorist Carl Schmitt, who notoriously supported the Nazis - although on the merits, what he said was appropriate.
Hermer's credentials
Hermer is persistently targeted by the far right, particularly over the imprisonment of Lucy Connolly, the Conservative councillor's wife who tweeted in favour of burning down asylum hotels. Although the decision to prosecute was made by the Crown Prosecution Service and Connolly pleaded guilty, with her sentence decided by a judge, Conservative and Reform politicians have blamed Hermer. The opportunist Conservative leadership wannabe, Robert Jenrick, has also targeted him because of the individuals Hermer defended as a barrister.
Even the Trump-sympathetic wing of the Labour Party have Hermer in their sights too. In an extraordinary attack earlier this year, the 'Blue Labour' founder, Maurice Glasman, reported to be close to Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, told the New Statesman that Hermer was 'an arrogant progressive fool who thinks that law is a replacement for politics'. Hermer certainly came to office with progressive credentials. A Jewish lawyer who was critical of Israel before he joined the government 11 months ago, he told LBC on 28 October 2023 that 'it is almost impossible to conceive of how a siege that deprives a civilian population of the basic necessities of life… is in compliance with international law'.
After Nearly 600 Days the End of the Israel-Gaza War Looks as Far off as Ever
As the world continues to wring its hands, the suffering of the people at the heart of this conflict only continues to grow, writes Alexandra Hall Hall
Alexandra Hall Hall
UK support for Israel
19 months on, Hermer's rejection, at Chatham House, of the idea that Britain "should abandon the constraints of international law in favour of raw power" obviously brings to mind the Labour Government's complicity in the vastly greater crimes that Israel and the USA, two of its key allies, have since committed, and are still committing, in Gaza. Starmer and his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, both of them also lawyers, have been unusually critical of Israel in recent weeks. The Prime Minister even joined the French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian leader Mark Carney in denouncing Israel's denial of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza, promising "further concrete actions" if Israel continued. Yet this mystified observers, since few actions against Israel have been observed.
Despite occasional criticisms, most of the UK Government's "concrete" actions have effectively supported Israel's campaign. The UK signed a military cooperation agreement with Israel in 2020, when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister. Under this deal, the RAF has conducted very regular surveillance flights over Gaza since October 2023, apparently sharing information with Israel on the pretext of assisting them to rescue hostages held by Hamas. This claim has long been threadbare: it is obvious that Israel's main purpose is to assault Gaza's civilian population, despite the loss of hostage lives which this has caused, while spurning agreements to secure their release. Indeed, Israel has now clearly stated its intention to per...
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