SNP MP Anum Qaisar has launched a scathing attack on the UK Government, accusing ministers of a "deafening silence" and exhibiting blatant double standards in their response to the killing of three British Palestinian aid workers in Gaza.
The aid workers, who held UK citizenship, were killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week while delivering desperately needed humanitarian supplies in the conflict-ravaged territory. Their deaths have sparked international outrage and raised serious questions about the protection of humanitarian personnel.
'Where is the outrage?' asks furious MP
In an emotional address, Ms Qaisar challenged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directly, demanding to know why the British government had not shown the same level of urgency and condemnation as it would if the victims had been Israeli citizens.
"If these were three Israeli citizens with British citizenship, the response from the UK Government would be markedly different," the SNP representative stated. "The silence from ministers has been deafening."
Government response under scrutiny
The Foreign Office has confirmed it is "looking into" the reports of the British nationals' deaths but has yet to issue any formal condemnation or call for an independent investigation into the incident.
This cautious approach stands in stark contrast to the government's typically swift and forceful responses to attacks on Israeli citizens, highlighting what critics are calling a troubling inconsistency in Britain's foreign policy approach to the conflict.
Growing calls for accountability
The tragedy has intensified calls from opposition parties and human rights organisations for the UK Government to:
- Publicly condemn the attack on humanitarian workers
- Demand an immediate and transparent investigation
- Clarify its position on the protection of aid workers in conflict zones
- Reassess its approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict to ensure consistency
As the death toll in Gaza continues to rise and the humanitarian situation deteriorates further, this incident has brought renewed attention to the complexities and moral dilemmas facing Western governments in their response to the ongoing violence.
