UK appoints new justice secretary to criticise Israeli human rights abuses

The new British government has appointed Richard Hummer, a seasoned lawyer who has frequently spoken out against Israel's violations of international law, as Britain's attorney general.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour Party won a landslide election victory this week, appointed Hummer as the government's chief legal adviser on Friday.

The Attorney General oversees the Ministry of Justice, the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service (which Starmer led from 2008 to 2013), as well as other responsibilities.

Hummer, 55, will not be a member of parliament but will instead be granted a life peerage and sit in the House of Lords.

Hermer has 31 years of experience as an attorney, specializing in human rights, public law and environmental law.

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He was at Doty Street Chambers, where Starmer worked, before moving to Matrix Chambers.

Among Hermer’s recent cases was that of Abu Zubaydah, a prisoner in Guatemala Bay who was subjected to extreme abuse and torture at the CIA’s secret “black sites” in six countries.

A former prisoner is suing the British government for complicity in his ordeal.

Intervention in Israel's Actions

In recent months and years, Hermer has been vocal on issues related to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In October, he was one of eight prominent Jewish lawyers who wrote a letter urging Israel to remember its international obligations during its military offensive in Gaza.

The letter described Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel as a war crime, but stressed that Israel's response must comply with international law.

To be clear, the letter stated that collective punishment is prohibited by the laws of war. Likewise, international law requires combatants to ensure minimal destruction of civilian life and infrastructure. The intent to inflict indiscriminate harm, rather than acting in a precise manner to minimize harm, constitutes a grave violation of international law if proven.

Hummer told LBC radio at the time that Israel's siege of Gaza, which cuts off electricity, water and food, was likely a violation of international law.

While a siege against military personnel may not itself violate international law, he said, it is almost impossible to imagine how a siege that fails to protect civilians from the basic necessities of life could comply with international law.

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The new attorney general's involvement in Israel and Palestine began before the war even began.

Last May, he was one of dozens of lawyers who co-signed a letter from Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights urging the British government to engage constructively with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

The letter signed by Hermer states that the Israeli government is led by a coalition of far-right parties with the common goal of formally annexing the West Bank and expanding the one-state reality that would grant unequal rights to the more than 5 million Palestinians living under occupation.

The letter added: It is very likely that the court will consider aspects of the situation as being apartheid. The ICJ opinion on this point will also be helpful to the UK. The current position of the UK government is that the apartheid issue is a matter for the courts to decide and is not a matter for politicians to resolve without the courts.

Criticism of anti-BDS bill

Last year, when the former Conservative government introduced legislation to crack down on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Labour turned to Hummer for advice on the matter.

Hummer said the bill would have a huge negative impact on the UK's ability to promote human rights abroad, would stifle press freedom at home and was in some ways incompatible with the UK's obligations under international law.

He argued that the bill's identification of occupied Palestine with Israel conflicted with Britain's longstanding policy of supporting a two-state solution along the 1967 borders.

While Hummer did not take a position on BDS per se, he did highlight Britain's long history of using its economic clout to promote human rights, citing the role of British local government in boycotting South Africa's apartheid policies.

He said that had the bill been in place in the 1980s, it would most likely have been considered illegal and no exemption would have been granted, given the then prime minister's position that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist and the apartheid regime was his ally.

More than a decade ago, in 2011, Hummer co-authored a chapter in a book titled Corporate Complicity in the Israeli Occupation: Evidence from the Russell Tribunal’s London Conference on Palestine.

This chapter examines the legal framework surrounding the complicity of multinational corporations in violations of international humanitarian law.

Hummers' position contrasts with Labour's initial response to Israel's war in Gaza.

In an interview with LBC in October, Starmer appeared to condone Israel's blockade of water and electricity supplies to Palestinians, although the Labour leader later backtracked on this position.

Emily Thornberry, then shadow justice secretary, refused to answer questions about whether Israel's power and water cuts were consistent with international law.

Some in the British press have described Hummers' appointment as a snub to Thornbury, who was widely expected to take on the justice secretary role.

As expected, David Lammy, the senior Tottenham MP, has been appointed the new Foreign Secretary.

In May, Rami called for a halt to the sale of weapons and parts to Israel if such weapons were to be used in a military offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

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