Satrmer govt didn't do enough to stop Israeli war crimes in Gaza: UK PM-in-waiting
Andy Burnham, the prospective Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has apologised for the response of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer to the Israel’s genocide in Gaza, saying that they 'didn’t get it right' and should 'do better' under his leadership
Andy Burnham, the prospective Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has apologised for the response of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer to the Israel’s genocide in Gaza, saying that they “didn’t get it right” and should “do better” under his leadership. He added that “there’s increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed” by Israel in the Palestinian enclave.
In a video posted on Thursday, Burnham vowed to apply more pressure on the Israeli occupation government by pushing for more sanctions against Israeli individuals and entities, and potentially banning all trade and commerce with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
“I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza, my party didn’t get it right, and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better,” he said.
“Yes, we have taken some important steps,” he said, listing Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state; sanctioning Israeli ministers, violent settlers and supporting organizations; and restricting arms licenses “to make sure no British bombs can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank.”
“But let’s be honest, the U.K. was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” he added.
Burnham is expected to be the only candidate to run in internal Labour Party elections to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, if no other contender enters the running. Starmer announced his resignation last month, after two years in office.
Burnham was also one of the first Labour politicians to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Defying the public position taken by then-opposition leader Starmer, Burnham wrote on October 27 that while Israel has the right to take “targeted action within international law,” he had “profound concerns” about the loss of life in Gaza and that it was “vital that urgent support and humanitarian aid is allowed into the area.”
Burnham calls for more sanctions against Israel
In the video, Burnham also said Netanyahu’s government was impeding a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and “that’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.”
Burnham also said he had been “absolutely appalled by the destruction of Gaza. “There’s increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed.”
“However, it must be for the international courts to determine, rather than politicians,” he said, whether Israel carried out a genocide in Gaza or not.
Burnham asserted his commitment to addressing the rise in antisemitism in Britain. “There is no contradiction between a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism and holding the Netanyahu government to account. I will always take a fair and balanced approach and stand up for what is right,” he said.
In an interview with The Guardian published earlier this month ahead of the parliamentary by-election, Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester, home to the UK’s second-largest Jewish community, declined to label the war that Israel waged in Gaza as a genocide. “I can’t judge things of that enormity from where I am as mayor of Greater Manchester,” he said
Last year, he was one of four senior Labour politicians who co-authored an open letter published in The Guardian, calling on the UK government to “take the lead” on recognising a Palestinian state. Such a move, the letter said, should be done “for the common good of all in a region that needs peace and stability, not war, terror and mass starvation.” Britain formally recognised a Palestinian state some three months later.
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