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UK’s Cameron says Israel hindering flow of aid into Gaza

By ToI Staff 22 March 2024, 6:30 am 4 Edit

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron accused Israel of hindering the flow of aid into Gaza amid a reported row with English-language government spokesman Eylon Levy, who is said to have since been suspended.

In a letter to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns — cited by the Guardian — Cameron wrote that not enough humanitarian assistance was getting into Gaza due to “arbitrary denials by the government of Israel and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening windows in daylight hours.”

Cameron wrote that Israel closes the Kerem Shalom crossing on Saturdays due to the Sabbath, and rejected an Israeli assertion that the UN requested Israel do so to allow workers to process the aid.

In his letter, he wrote that there were “claims that international donors should send as much aid as they wish and Israel will facilitate its entry. I wish that were the case. It is of enormous frustration that UK aid into Gaza has been routinely held up waiting for Israeli permissions. For instance, I am aware of some UK-funded aid being stuck at the border just under three weeks waiting for approval.”

Levy’s suspension followed a complaint from the UK Foreign Office about his response to a post by Cameron on March 8, in which Britain’s top diplomat urged Israel “to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it,” Channel 12 news reported this week.

“I hope you are also aware there are NO limits on the entry of food, water, medicine, or shelter equipment into Gaza, and in fact the crossings have EXCESS capacity,” Levy wrote to Cameron in since-deleted comments on X.

“Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we’ll get them in,” Levy added, referring to the crossing on Israel’s border with Gaza.

Levy, who was born and raised in England, had also issued a more biting response to a post from Cameron a day earlier, saying “it is factually incorrect that the flow of aid has not increased” and “if the UK wants more aid to enter Gaza, it should send it and we’ll make sure it gets in.”

Following the March 8 post, Kearns, the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee said she shared it with Cameron and asked him to look into Levy’s statement that 100 more trucks can enter Gaza each day.

The Channel 12 report, which did not cite a source, said the Foreign Office sent an official missive to the Foreign Ministry saying British diplomats “were surprised” by Levy’s post, and asked to clarify whether his remarks “effectively attack Foreign Minister Cameron’s position and if they reflect the Israeli government’s official position.”

Levy has not commented on the reported suspension.

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