Lammy’s hypocrisy sees him condemn Russian UN veto but downplay Israel’s genocide

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy went all out at the UN Security Council on Monday when he condemned Russia’s use of its veto to block a draft resolution for a ceasefire in Sudan. The draft had been prepared by the UK and Sierra Leone.

“For over eighteen months, Sudanese civilians have endured unimaginable violence,” thundered Lammy. “We have seen and heard the testimony. Atrocities driven by ethnic hatred. Sexual violence, including mass rape. Children abducted and recruited as soldiers in this horror. Aid workers attacked. Essential supplies blocked. Homes, schools, hospitals destroyed and looted.”

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Lammy continued with remarks that exposed his hypocrisy, which is as breath-taking as Russia’s disgraceful use of its veto. “This suffering is a scar on the collective conscience, on a scale that is frankly hard to comprehend,” said the foreign secretary. Britain is working in partnership with Sierra Leone, he added, “to address this humanitarian emergency and catastrophe. To protect civilians. To ensure aid access. To call for a ceasefire.”

He did not stop there. He condemned Russia’s actions in Sudan, Ukraine, and Africa with searing rhetoric. “One country stood in the way of the Council speaking with one voice. One country is the blocker. One country is the enemy of peace. This Russian veto is a disgrace. And it shows to the world yet again Russia’s true colours.”

Clearly feeling that he was on a roll, Lammy doubled down:

“Shame on Putin for waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Shame on Putin for using his mercenaries to spread conflict and violence across the African continent. And shame on Putin for pretending to be a partner of the Global South while condemning Black Africans to further killing, further rape, further starvation in a brutal civil war.”

He painted a bleak picture of Russia’s role in Sudan, decrying its cruelty and negligence. “I ask the Russian representative, in all conscience, sitting there on his phone: How many more Sudanese have to be killed? How many more women have to be raped? How many more children have to go without food before Russia will act?”

Britain, claimed the foreign secretary, stands in stark contrast. “While Britain doubles aid, Russia blocks aid access. While Britain works with our African partners, Russia vetoes their will.”

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Lammy’s words, although stirring, leave a nasty smell in the air. Everything he accuses Russia of doing in Sudan — blocking aid and running a deliberate starvation campaign, enabling atrocities, killing aid workers, targeting children and silencing mediation — describes precisely what Israel is doing in Gaza with Britain’s unquestioned support. For all his fiery moral clarity about Russia’s “mean, nasty and cynical” behaviour, Lammy’s silence on Gaza betrays a willingness to excuse identical and, many would argue, worse horrors when committed by Britain’s ally.

The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven.

While Britain arms Israel and provides diplomatic cover at the UN, Gaza’s civilians face relentless bombardment. Homes, schools, and hospitals are destroyed, aid is blocked, and entire families are wiped out. Israel’s desire for the annihilation of the Palestinian people fuels these atrocities. The parallels with Lammy’s description of what is happening in Sudan are undeniable, and yet his impassioned outrage deserts him when it comes to Israel.

He has, in fact, downplayed Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Demonstrating a level of ignorance unbecoming of Britain’s chief diplomat, he in the House of Commons last month during a heated debate on the Middle East and dismissed claims that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

The foreign secretary argued that such a term undermines the gravity of atrocities like the Holocaust and that the term genocide is used when “millions” are killed. He leapt to Israel’s defence, it seems, for no purpose other than to shield the apartheid state from criticism and minimise the seriousness of the suffering in Gaza.

Lammy’s remarks sparked shock and outrage, with critics accusing him of displaying a troubling degree of ignorance about what constitutes genocide, which is not defined in law solely by the number of people killed. Many atrocities have been recognised as genocide, including by the UK, even when the death toll was far below a million. For example, the UK recognises the genocide of Bosnian Muslims, during which approximately 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were systematically separated from women and children, detained and executed in what remains the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.

As I argued in a previous article, Lammy’s position stands in stark contrast to the conclusions of institutions and experts who are far more qualified to make determinations on genocide. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently investigating Israel for genocide with new evidence recently submitted by South Africa.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, named after Raphael Lemkin who coined the term “genocide”, has unequivocally described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. “Let us be clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” the institute declared in May, adding, “The US is complicit in genocide. These are not political statements. They are statements that are made from knowledge and experience.” The institute also condemned the hypocrisy of Western leaders, stating: “We are disgusted by Western leaders, especially in the USA, Germany, and the UK. They have demonstrated not only that they don’t care one bit about genocide prevention and human rights, but also that they are willing to allow an ally to commit atrocity crimes while they offer material and diplomatic support.”

Israeli scholars of genocide further undermine Lammy’s position.

Professor Omer Bartov, a leading expert on genocide, admitted in August that he had made a grave error in initially denying the existence of genocide in Gaza. Writing in the Guardian, Bartov revealed that after closely observing Israel’s actions, particularly the attack by the occupation army on Rafah on 6 May 2024, he had become convinced that “it was no longer possible to deny that Israel was engaged in systematic war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal actions.”

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Similarly, Raz Segal, a professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, has described Israel’s assault on Gaza as a “textbook case of genocide.” Segal highlighted that genocide is defined by intent and, days after 7 October 2023, Israeli leaders provided ample evidence of their “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.” These statements are not made lightly but are rooted in a deep understanding of the legal and historical criteria for genocide.

Others have also reached the same conclusion. A new report by a UN special committee released on Friday found Israel’s military actions against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip to be consistent with the characteristics of genocide. At the very least, Israel is conducting forced population transfer in Gaza, concluded Human Rights Watch. In other words, Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity that is intertwined with and lays the groundwork for genocide.

Lammy’s words also flew in the face of the considered view of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, that Israel is “definitely committing genocide in Gaza.”

The growing consensus among experts, as well as the ICJ’s ongoing investigation, leaves no doubt about the severity of Israel’s actions and the most appropriate term to describe the human suffering and devastation in Gaza. David Lammy, however, has not only failed to address these findings but has actively downplayed the genocide, putting himself among the very leaders who the Lemkin Institute condemn for enabling atrocity crimes with their material and diplomatic support. His position is both morally and legally indefensible.

The suffering in Sudan is a “scar on the collective consciences,” said Lammy at the UN.

Where is Britain’s conscience when it comes to Gaza, though?

Lammy condemned Russia’s veto as enabling war crimes with impunity. Yet Britain’s unwavering support for Israel does precisely the same thing: Lammy and his colleagues in government (and their Conservative predecessors, it must be said) embolden the perpetrators of massacres against Palestinians.

Just how shameful Britain’s position has been is exposed by its direct complicity with Israel’s genocide if latest reports are to be believed. An investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed that the US and UK have provided military support to Israel by creating an air bridge that has been vital to sustain the intensity of the war on Gaza. The UK has flown nearly half of the reconnaissance missions over Gaza since the genocide began, which is said to be more than double that of Israel itself.

So, yes, Mr Lammy, to paraphrase your own words: “How many more children have to go without food? How many more have to be raped? How many more homes, schools and hospitals have to be destroyed before Britain acts?” Your scathing critique of Russia’s “true colours” unintentionally exposes Britain’s own. Your hypocrisy knows no bounds.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.