Top genocide scholar calls Starmer and Lammy ‘hypocrites’ over Gaza stance

One of the world’s leading scholars on genocide, Willian Schabas, on Monday denounced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy for refusing to label Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide.

“These people are hypocrites. They speak with a forked tongue. They do not interpret or apply the Genocide Convention in a consistent manner,” Schabas told Middle East Eye.

“The statements of British parliamentarians vary depending upon whether they are referring to their friends or their enemies,” said Schabas, who is president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the author of more than 20 books on genocide and other international law topics.

Last week, Starmer was asked to share his definition of genocide and to outline what action he was taking to save the lives of people in Gaza.

In response, he said he was "well aware of the definition of genocide" and that this explains why he has "never described or referred to [the situation in Gaza] as genocide". 

Read more: Top genocide scholar calls Starmer and Lammy ‘hypocrites’ over Gaza stance