London - Saba:
Independent British MP John McDonnell on Wednesday called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to London, Tzipi Hotovely.
This came in a speech he gave at a parliamentary session, during which Hamish Falconer, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan at the British Foreign Office, was hosted.
McDonnell stated that they had seen pictures of children dying of hunger and cold due to Israeli attacks and siege on Gaza, noting that the steps taken by the British government had not had the desired effect on Israel.
The only solution in the past was to "isolate a country economically and militarily completely" to prevent it from committing war crimes, as Israel does, he added.
McDonnell noted that the British government could play a leading role in reaching some kind of negotiated solution by isolating Israel.
He added: "But what particularly bothers me is that we have an Israeli ambassador (Hotovely) who defends 'Greater Israel', refuses to recognize the state of Palestine, and opposes all approved UN resolutions on how to achieve peace and security. She is still in our country.. Why don't we expel the Israeli ambassador?"
For his part, Minister Falconer explained in his response to a parliamentary question, that he shares MP McDonnell's sadness about the images coming from Gaza during the winter.
Falconer said: "It is clear that there is a disagreement between the British and Israeli governments about the course of the war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian consequences."
He added: "We will continue to raise this dispute through all channels, whether through the Israeli ambassador or directly to the Israeli government.. It is really the only way to achieve the changes we want to see in this regard."
MP Zara Sultana also supported her colleague McDonnell's call, in a post on her account on the "X" platform, saying: "Expel the Israeli ambassador now."
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