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Oliver Dowden said the British government was "continuously"
urging Israel to abide by international humanitarian law and had
also raised concerns about getting aid into Gaza, where a
humanitarian crisis is raging after six months of fighting.
"That's why we are calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow
that aid in, and crucially, the hostages to come out," he told
Reuters in an interview in Seoul, where he was attending a
U.S.-backed Summit for Democracy.
Dowden's comments came in response to a query about tension
between Israel and its most steadfast allies in the United
States over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the
war, particularly an expected military push into Rafah, the last
relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded enclave.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Netanyahu on Monday that an
Israeli operation in Rafah would deepen anarchy in Gaza and they
agreed that teams from each side would meet in Washington to
discuss it.
In a speech on Thursday, U.S. Senate Majority leader Chuck
Schumer, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking
Jewish elected official, called for new elections in Israel,
saying Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace.
Netanyahu responded harshly on Sunday, telling CNN in an
interview that Schumer's speech was "totally inappropriate".
Dowden stressed his support for Israel, saying there is a risk
that the world is forgetting the horrors of October 7, when
Hamas launched attacks that Israel says killed about 1,400
people.
"I continue to support Israel's right to defend itself, not only
for the sake of Israel, but also I think around the world we
should be standing up to this kind of barbarism," he said.
"But what in turn I'll also say to Israel is that they need to
show restraint and proportionality in the way that they
prosecute the legitimate war against Hamas."
(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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