The UK, France and Canada threaten Israel

[Whatsinanamehey]

"The leaders of Britain, France, and Canada on Monday threatened action against Israel if it does not stop a renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift aid restrictions"

"We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate," the three Western leaders said in the joint statement, adding that they will not stand by while Netanyahu's government pursues "these egregious actions."

My personal opinion is once again it is too little, too late. However I'm interested to hear opinions on what exactly this threatening action would consist of?

What has caused these governments to issue such a statement now and not before? The blockade of aid has been ongoing for more than two months. Why didn't they say take further action earlier?

Lastly, will this statement have any effect on the Netanyahu extremist government? Or will they brush it off as they usually do? I'm not sure as these are three powerful allies who have so far been quite wishy washy with their condemnation.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/uk-france-canada-threaten-israel-against-gaza-offensive-2025-05-19/

Fuck Israel
Fuck Trump
Fuck Starmer
All complicit in the deliberate starvation of Gaza
Disgusting as is anyone who supports this inhumane action

Fuck Hamas as being more responsible than anyone for people starving in Gaza.

Oh of course, poor old Israel can’t possibly take any of the blame.

Not fuck Hamas too?
I get your sentiment but it’s important to extend your disgust to all guilty parties.

It's precisely because they have never been made to take any blame and have been provided "cover" by the US and Europe since the late 1940s that we are in this situation today. A situation where their government believes that they can act with impunity and their supporters similarly support that impunity (though they're always at pains to say that they don’t support or agree with Netanyahu).

I didn’t say that.

Netanyahu & his government need to take a lot of blame especially for stopping humanitarian aid from getting into Gaza for months.

But it’s funny how @Bellahadthese seems to hold Israel, Trump and even Starmer more accountable than.Hamas. I wouldn’t say Starmer in particular is worse than Hamas, would you?

I think Starmer has been weak and has allowed Israel to get to this stage.

Israel are responsible for blocking aid. They’ve said that they’re allowing a minimal amount in because of the optics. Why doesn’t THAT bother you? They’d let them starve if they could get away with it.

Being weak is not as bad as being violent terrorists so I will take from your answer that you agree with me that Starmer isn’t as bad as Hamas. Therefore you didn’t need to jump in when I suggested @Bellahadthese should say Fuck Hamas if they are listing people they hold accountable for people starving in Gaza.

You’ve now jumped to a different topic - comments made about the optics of allowing people to starve. I agree that was a disgraceful comment & Israel government should genuinely care about the threat of people starving, not just because of the optics.

It’s not just Starmer, it wasn’t him that initially gave Uk support was it?
As I understand it, Uk government withdrew from supplying Israel already and diverted to arming Ukraine? Something that was denounced as shameful by the Israeli government.
What more do you want him to do? Tell Trump to stop supplying them? Maybe he has and Trump said no. What then? Threaten the US?

Wise words.Lock him up.

blogs.timesofisrael.com/eurovisions-foreign-policy-lessons-for-israel/

President Trump and leaders in the region and around the world are sending Israel a clear message – engage with us constructively or we will move on. If Israel is not able to focus creatively, or even find a base for compromise, on tough issues like Syria or Iran or the future of Gaza, other countries will. If Israel refuses to engage with our Palestinian neighbors, France or Saudi Arabia might look in other directions. Courts in the Hague or UN bodies in New York or Geneva might fill the gap. And our hostages – and they are our responsibility – continue to be endangered every day.

There has been some talk in Israel that somehow Israel is no longer relevant. That is not my impression. Leaders around the world understand that Israel has and can be a vital partner in so many areas. But if Netanyahu is more concerned with the survival of his coalition, delaying his criminal court case, speaking only to his political base than actual diplomacy and leading Israel to a new path, the world will conclude that it has no choice but to move on.

We are still supplying Israel. We’ve removed something like 30 licences. He needs to stop supplying Israel full stop.

Lammy in the Commons now describing Netanyahu’s behaviour as 'abominable' likely the strongest language used by a British Foreign Secretary in recent memory. He's not holding back, and his palpable anger is evident. He is a monster doing monstrous things.

Finally some condemnation. Did anyone see the bbc news report from a woman in Gaza who is an architect, with 2 young kids? It was heartbreaking.

Fair enough and I stand corrected so I would probably agree with you there.
Seems strange to still be allowing this whilst simultaneously saying that Israel are becoming more abhorrent in their treatment of Palestinians. Would this not have been the first thing to happen 🤷‍♀️

Lammy says that we are suspending trade talks with Israel and have summoned the ambassador to tell her so. But will Netanyahu listen, and is it too little far too late?

Yeah the UK government has suspended about 30 licences out of about 350.

Though maybe they will suspend more licences if sufficient humanitarian aid doesn’t get into Gaza soon.

The UK, France and Canada have no leverage whatsoever over Israel. This is the equivalent of a sternly-worded letter. It's a political statement for the consumption of voters in their home countries, not because they believe it will have any effect on Netanyahu.

The UK has suspended the free trade agreement with Israel. I think this has been the furthest our government has gone.

They have also sanctioned individual settlers and some groups including the deranged Daniella Weiss.

More harsh words from Lammy, didn't think he would go as far as saying this.

"The world is judging. History will judge them," he adds.
"Blocking aid, expanding the world, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible, and it must stop."

A nothingburger, previous poster is correct, the UK and others have little to no leverage on the Israeli government.

If they were truly serious the RAF could suspend the reconnaissance flights that they carry out regularly over Gaza and suspend sharing intelligence.

I'm still cynical that this "sudden" change in rhetoric and measly actions (after 18000 children have been killed) is an attempt to pin this whole situation on Netanyahu and his cabinet and to quieten the people who have been highlighting the deliberate starvation.

You know it is not as simple as that. I agree. But that’s the kind of logic written by a well-meaning 13 year old without nuance.

The UK is not about to change a fundamental geopolitical alliance so don't worry about Keir Starmer wearing a Palestinian flag

I think there is concern about the UK government but we still have to acknowledge Hamas are still fighting and still want the same thing , obliteration of Israel. They are still in power.

There seems to be no suggestion by the UK government how Hamas can be disarmed and somehow persuaded not to be an ever present threat to Israel. This needs resolving.

I think we are in a period of the dying breaths of Hamas and it may be we are looking at a different scenario in a few weeks time. Of course Israel should act to limit civilian casualties but here may be a point of Hamas capitulation that allows a cease fire.

I do feel again sensible reporting and not falling for Hamas propaganda is necessary as though reporting is correct again we have growing anti semitism in this country so a fine line needs to be judged.

No one is saying this is the Holocaust. The Holocaust is/ was the Holocaust.

What they are saying is the Jews have suffered disproportionately. Probably more than any other people (I don’t really know non- western history hence the probably). Thus surely they know what persecution and war means. And as Isreal is a Jewish state. The Jewish state. It is shocking that they have no mercy.

It is a widely held opinion in this country whether you understand or not.

Hijacking this thread slightly. Can anyone explain how Israel got second place in the Eurovision? It seems the most obvious way to show utter disgust for everything their state is standing doing at the moment. They shouldn’t have got one vote. We should have ignored their presence. And they got second fucking place? Am I existing in some weird minority echo chamber with people who think genocide isn’t good and Palestinians are humans. And the rest of Europe are like ‘yeah, shame about the ongoing genocide their country is carrying out, but the song was great’ what the actual fuck. Does anyone care? Is this all just hot air, because essentially so many people just don’t care?

BBC is running this news story on Live. I feel like they’re wishing something to happen. It’s happened like this time and time again for the last 18 months. Nothing changes. It carries on. And anyone defending Israel on here needs their head checked. Wrong side of history much?