Labour must end complicity in Gaza crisis
The new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Defence Secretary Wes Streeting must end UK complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the Scottish Greens have said.
In a recently published note to disgraced Labour figurehead Peter Mandelson, Streeting accused Israel of “committing war crimes before our eyes” and using “the language of ethnic cleansing.”
As Labour leader in 2014, Miliband whipped Labour MPs to support Palestinian statehood. He also opposed Israel’s assault on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements.
But under Starmer, the UK government denied genocide, fought a court battle to continue exporting fighter jet components to Israeli forces, criminalised protesters and allowed UK troops to provide training for the Israeli military.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Andy Burnham apologised for aspects of Labour’s policy towards Gaza, but did not set out what he would do differently.
Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said:
"Keir Starmer’s role in Israel’s atrocities against Gaza was truly shameful, and it will rightly tarnish his legacy.
“But the real legacy is not the damage to his reputation. It is the human cost of the suffering inflicted on Palestinians that he was willing to ignore.
“The intensity of the violence may have reduced, but the daily suffering and indignity continue. So does the humanitarian crisis.
“Wes Streeting knows the pain that has been caused. We all saw his note to Peter Mandelson, in which he accused the Israeli government of war crimes and using the language of ethnic cleansing.
“Ed Miliband was one of the leading voices calling for Labour to recognise a Palestinian state. He rightly opposed UK complicity in Israel’s 2014 assault on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
“Now both men have responsibility for arms sales, military collaboration and training agreements. They have a choice. They can continue with Keir Starmer’s disastrous policy of complicity or they can finally break with it.
“I hope that they will both use their positions to end UK complicity in the genocide and the disastrous policies of Keir Starmer.”