An expert has said there is “no evidence” that Britain’s intervention will be helpful as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, senior associate fellow at Royal United Serivce Institute (RUSI) H A Hellyer said the intervention would only reinforce Britain’s existing position of support for Israel.
They compared Britain’s response to Ireland, a country which has insisted that humanitarian law must continue to apply.
The expert’s comments come as Britain sends two ships from the Royal Navy and aircraft from the RAF to carry out surveillance operations for Israel.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the purpose of this mission was to prevent further escalation.
H A Hellyer disagreed, arguing that the decision to send ships and aircraft could have the opposite effect.
They said: “London may be thinking that sending a show of force to the eastern Mediterranean will de-escalate issues, but there is no evidence that such a move would be helpful.
“On the contrary, it will simply reinforce that London supports Israel’s offensive against Gaza, which has turned into a humanitarian catastrophe, and is likely to get much worse following a ground invasion.
“Dublin, in contrast, has been clear in saying Israel has the right to defend itself while insisting that international humanitarian law must continue to apply, which will save many civilian lives.”
Mr Hellyer said that Dublin’s position would also “uphold at least the potential of the nature of international order”.
Since the war began last Saturday when Hamas launched a surprise attack, there has been debate over how involved the likes of the USA and UK would be in the region.
The USA has already sent an aircraft carrier and senior diplomate Antony Blinken said his country would “always be there” for Israel.
Now the UK has sent the Royal Navy and RAF into the region with aircraft due to begin patrols over the weekend.
The Royal Navy task group will head to the eastern Mediterranean with the RFA Lyme Bay and RAF Argus with the Royal Marines.
In a statement, Rishi Sunak said the “deployment of our world-class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation”.
He added: “We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated.
“Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists.”
