Between condemnation and justification.. this is London's confused stance on the crimes in Gaza.

A message sent by former Foreign Secretary David Lammy revealed that: "The war does not meet the standards, although he describes the Israeli bombing as: utterly horrific."

In a report published by The Times and prepared by Matt Dathan and Alex Farber, they stated that: "The British government does not believe that Israel's actions in Gaza constitute genocide, and until last week, the British government insisted that the issue of whether Israel committed genocide is a matter for the courts, not for governments."

However, Lammy said in a letter to the Chair of the International Development Committee in Parliament last week that: "The assessment conducted by the Foreign Office concluded that Israel's actions do not constitute genocide."

The letter, which was sent before his replacement as Foreign Secretary in the cabinet reshuffle, stated: "According to the Genocide Convention, genocide is not considered a crime unless there is a 'specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group'."

In May, Hamish Falconer, Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs, told Members of Parliament: "The UK government's firm position is that any official determination of genocide is a matter for a competent court, not for governments or non-judicial bodies."

His letter came in response to a strongly worded letter from Sarah Champion, Chair of the International Development Committee in the House of Commons, in which she demanded answers on how the UK’s policy of continuing to supply spare parts for F-35 fighter jets indirectly sent to the occupying state of Israel aligns with its international duty to prevent genocide.

For Prime Minister Keir Starmer, this is a critical diplomatic period in the Israeli occupation war in Gaza, as he is set to recognize the State of Palestine later this month unless the occupying state of Israel meets strict conditions.

On Monday, he hosted Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, at Downing Street, and on Wednesday he will host the Israeli occupying President, Isaac Herzog.

In his response to Champion's letter, Lammy, who became Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister in Starmer's cabinet reshuffle, stated that the government "carefully considered" the issue of genocide.

He said that: "Despite the government's conclusion, Israel's actions in Gaza were 'extremely horrific' given the large number of civilian casualties, including women and children, and the 'widespread destruction' it caused."

Lammy stated that the occupying state of Israel "must make greater efforts to prevent and alleviate the suffering caused by this conflict."

He added that: "The Foreign Office has conducted several assessments regarding the issue of genocide, including when the government decided to exempt British-made spare parts for the F-35 from suspending 30 licenses for arms exports to Israel."

In September 2024, the British government suspended export licenses to the occupying state of Israel last September due to the risk of British-made weapons being used in violations of international law in Gaza.

However, it exempted the supply of British-made components for American-made F-35 fighter jets, as they are part of a broader NATO defense program, essential for maintaining international peace.

More than 1,300 workers in the entertainment industry, including prominent actors and directors, have pledged to refuse to work with Israeli film institutions, which they see as "involved in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."

Among the actors who accused "many governments of causing the massacre in Gaza" were Olivia Colman, Amy Lou Wood, Susan Sarandon, and Mark Ruffalo, who stated: "The International Court of Justice, the highest court in the world, ruled that there is a potential risk of genocide occurring in Gaza, and that Israel's occupation and apartheid system against Palestinians is illegal."

The organization "Cinema Workers for Palestine" published this pledge, claiming that "the vast majority" of the Israeli film industry has never supported the rights of the Palestinian people.