THE Chief Minister will “continue to engage with UK counterparts” to ensure that Jersey’s agreed perspective on the Israel-Gaza war is “properly heard”.
Deputy Lyndon Farnham was responding to a written question from Deputy Montfort Tadier – a backbencher leading the push for the Island’s government to take a stance on the ongoing conflict.
In February, he brought a proposition calling for “permanent ceasefire” that was approved following amendments from External Relations Minister Ian Gorst.
A letter was sent two weeks later from Deputy Gorst to UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Mike Freer MP which expressed the Island’s support for an “immediate suspension of hostilities” in the region.
And last week, in response to a petition signed by over 1,000 Islanders, the Chief Minister said ministers remained “very concerned” about the “deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza”, adding that he “sincerely hoped that a resolution to the conflict is sought as quickly as possible” to allow for the flow of aid into Gaza and the safe return of Israeli hostages.
Deputy Tadier’s latest question to the Island’s leader on the Israel-Gaza war asks Deputy Farnham whether he supports the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Israel’s Rafah offensive and what steps the government would take in response to the court’s ruling.
Last month, the UN’s top court issued a ruling that Israel should “immediately halt its military offensive” and other action in Rafah “which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.
In Deputy Farnham’s response, he said: “I remain deeply concerned with the ongoing situation in the region and, alongside the Minister for External Relations, I will continue to engage with UK counterparts to ensure that Jersey’s perspective – as agreed by the Assembly in P.7/2024 – is properly heard.
“This includes our condemnation of ‘all acts of aggression which violate international law and result in death and harm to civilians’ as well as supporting an ‘immediate suspension of hostilities’.
“The conduct of foreign policy, including in relation to the rulings of the International Court of Justice, is formally the responsibility of the United Kingdom government on behalf of Jersey.
“So while I must respect the constitutional perspective, I personally believe that the decisions of the International Court of Justice carry significant weight in the international community and would wish to see an immediate end to the conflict.”
The letter sent to Parliament was made available to the public last month.
In it, Deputy Gorst set out his reasoning for the amendments made to Deputy Montfort Tadier’s proposition which originally called for a “permanent ceasefire” and referred to “potential acts of genocide”.
These were intended to allow it to “better reflect the views of a majority of the community in Jersey”, he said.
The current Israel-Gaza war began when Hamas gunmen carried out an attack on southern Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
More than 37,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
