Britain\u2019s new Defence Minister, Wes Streeting, has defended his\nprevious statement accusing Israel of committing war crimes. The\ncomments were made before his appointment on Monday.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Farnborough\nInternational Airshow on Wednesday, Streeting said Israel should be\njudged by the same standards applied to the UK and its other allies. He\ndid, however, acknowledge Israel\u2019s right to self-defence.<\/p>\n
Now serving as Defence Minister under Prime Minister Andy Burnham\u2019s\ngovernment, Streeting was asked whether he stood by his past remarks. He\nstated that he had not changed or withdrawn his comments. \u2018I have made\nmy concerns about Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza and the West Bank very clear.\nMy comments are out there. They are published. They are on the record. I\nam not going to pretend I did not make them,\u2019 Streeting said, as\nreported by Anadolu Agency.<\/p>\n
He argued that being a friend of Israel does not mean avoiding\ncriticism of the country. \u2018But I also demand that Israel, as a friend\nand ally, meets the same standards that we apply to ourselves. That is\nthe standard that should be applied to Israel. It is a standard that I\nbelieve, and I am concerned, they have failed to meet,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
When asked by the media whether the UK would continue purchasing\nweapons from Israel, Streeting responded that decisions regarding\nprocurement, trade agreements, and diplomatic relations are made through\nestablished government frameworks, not by him alone.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uk-defence-minister-stands-by-statement-calling-israel-a-war-crimes-perpetrator-1784778848", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }