Media covers up visit from Israeli foreign minister

You have to ask - why was this not reported, and what was discussed?

Why has the media covered this up? On Tuesday, the Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar met with the British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Yet you would only known this in advance if you read Middle East Eye, which is where you often find out stories much of the rest of the media ignore.

Middle East Eye also revealed based on their sources that this trip would be unannounced. Saar, as Middle East Eye note, justified Israel’s decision to cut off aid to Gaza, stating ‘Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian’.

This is simply a rationale for collective punishment, prohibited by Article 33 of the Geneva Convention, because this is justifying a total blockade on Gaza which was instituted on 1 March, which led to the bakeries of Gaza closing and now the supplies which entered during the ceasefire running out.

As Middle East Eye note, he opposes any Palestinian state, declaring "creating a Palestinian state today would be tantamount to creating a Hamas state".

One of the few media outlets to report on the visit was The National in Scotland - whose coverage of Gaza has been truly excellent - which rightly covered condemnation of the BBC for failing to do its job..

Well here’s maybe one reason that there has been an attempt to hide Gideon Saar’s visit.

Because as Middle East Eye’s Imran Mulla also pointed out, arrest warrants were sought both by UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan) and the Hind Rajab Foundation.

That’s because of allegations against Saar, who is obviously one of leading members of the Israeli government, for aiding and abetting torture and severe breaches of international law.

According to GLAN, the Global Legal Action Network, the charges focus on his role in the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, which culminated in its destruction in December last year, as well as the abduction and torture of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of that hospital, who was taken hostage by Israel - who also killed his son.

They’ve submitted a request directly to the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions to apply for consent to apply for such an arrest warrant.

Gearóid Ó Cuinn, GLAN’s Director said:

Mr Gideon Sa’ar’s is directly linked to mass death, destruction and suffering in Palestine; we have submitted extensive evidence detailing his role in and awareness of this. UK officials are failing to abide by the law by offering handshakes instead of handcuffs – this is why we have asked the courts to urgently step in.

GLAN put out a specific statement:

URGENT: We are told that Gideon Sa'ar is now cutting short his visit & fleeing the UK. He is a suspect in a live investigation of serious crimes. If seen contact the London Met Police immediately. Please do not approach the suspect as he is likely accompanied by armed security.

The International Criminal Court have of course issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant last November. That was for war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly centring on starvation.

It is very likely that those charges will be added to, and that more Israeli politicians and soldiers will also face arrest warrants. Indeed they may not be made public - there is no compulsion on the ICC to make the arrest warrants public at all.

But the West is determined to destroy what remains of the international legal order in order to protect Israel for accountability for war crimes, with ICC signatory states saying they will not enforce the arrest warrants, such as Italy, France and Poland.

Indeed Hungary’s regime just hosted Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Budapest specifically to flout the ICC’s arrest warrant - Hungary further announced it was withdrawing from the ICC.

In any case the ICC has begun proceedings against Hungary over its refusal to cooperate under article 87(7) of the Rome Statute.

It should be noted that Hungary’s authoritarian regime - which has destroyed democracy there - is flagrantly racist and indeed uses constant antisemitic tropes over the Jewish Hungarian born financier George Soros, who is portrayed as a sinister puppetmaster.

Here’s what’s also mortifyingly embarrassing about this covered up visit. Britain has bent over backward to help facilitate Israel’s genocide, and for example continues to supply crucial components for the F-35 jets which rain death and destruction on the people of Gaza. And yet Israel humiliated the Labour government by deporting two Labour MPs who attempted to enter the country on a fact finding mission, accusing them of anti-Israel hate.

Yet still Britain offers the red carpet for the Foreign Secretary of a state whose leaders have arrest warrants against them for war crimes.

But what exactly did David Lammy say to this Israeli Foreign Secretary? We deserve to know.

Did he demand Israel ends the grave war crime and genocidal act which is the total blockade Israel imposed on anything entering Gaza at the beginning of March?

Last month, Lammy did actually finally state the facts here - that Israel is breaching international humanitarian law by imposing this blockade. And then No. 10 ordered he backtrack, with the weasel words that Israel was only at risk of breaking that law. Craven stuff, to say the least.

Or did Lammy demand Israel stop the mass violent slaughter of Palestinians, the destruction of hospitals and murder of medics, the release of thousands of Palestinian hostages, or an end to the genocidal plan to drive the surviving Palestinian population into a tiny confined space in Gaza, so that they die or are forced to flee?

Whatever words were uttered in this meeting, we know the government is not using any leverage over a state it still arms and supports.

A final point. Labour front benchers, overall, are the pits. Devoid of principle, spineless, making up with a lack of talent with their own burning desire to climb the ladder for the sake of it.

But David Lammy deserves special contempt. In the past he’s done this grandstanding about human rights and principle.

“Shame on Netanyahu”! He once tweeted safely in opposition.

This is a man who just wanted the trappings and prestige of high office, and he secured all of that, and morally disgraced himself in the process. After all, there is no greater sin than facilitating genocide.

Some politicians have spoken out, despite the blackout. Zarah Sultana, who was suspended by Labour because she voted against the Tory benefit cut which drives hundreds of thousands of children into poverty, rightly stated:

“Gideon Saar — and all Israeli officials complicit in the genocide of Palestinians — you are not welcome in the UK.”

Let’s see how history judges the likes of Zarah Sultana compared to the likes of David Lammy.