Labour government’s shift on Gaza not enough, say British Muslims, scholars

London, United Kingdom – Halimo Hussain, 31, has voted for the Labour Party astatine each predetermination since she was capable to vote. But that stopped with the 2024 July election.

“I felt that it was intolerable to enactment the Labour Party portion they were actively backing and supporting genocide … and endorsing corporate punishment [of Palestinians successful Gaza] was unconscionable,” Hussain, a British Muslim and a diverseness and inclusion serviceman from Tottenham successful northbound London, told Al Jazeera.

She explained that successful the run-up to the election, her efforts were focused connected autarkic candidates who were pro-Palestinian.

Nearly 4 months aft the election, Hussain’s views connected Labour person not changed contempt the enactment taking a antithetic stance connected the warfare successful powerfulness than the erstwhile Conservative government.

“I deliberation they’ve semi-acknowledged that warfare crimes are taking spot but yet are attempting to spell done ineligible loopholes to support backing and supporting Israel successful its genocidal battle connected Gaza, and that to maine is insane,” she said, referring to Britain suspending 30 arms export licences to Israel successful aboriginal September.

“They volition ne'er ever get my ballot ever again,” she added.

Hussain is not alone.

Four months ago, the Labour Party nether Keir Starmer won the wide predetermination successful a landslide vote. But contempt the win, the enactment mislaid enactment from what has traditionally been a cardinal enactment basal for Labour: British Muslims upset implicit the party’s stance connected the Gaza war.

Shortly aft the October 7 Hamas onslaught past year, Starmer told LBC vigor that owed to the attack, Israel had the close to support itself and the “right” to chopped h2o and powerfulness successful the enclave, successful enactment with “international law”.

But his comments sparked outrage wrong the enactment and its members, with immoderate councillors resigning. He aboriginal clarified his comments and said helium did not suggest that withholding indispensable resources was appropriate.

In February of this year, the Labour Party called for a humanitarian ceasefire aft aggravated unit and said successful its enactment manifesto up of the predetermination that it pledges to recognise a Palestinian state, which would effect successful a two-state solution with Israel.

Five pro-Palestine candidates who ran connected an autarkic ticket, including erstwhile Labour Party person Jeremy Corbyn, were elected successful July, successful a mandate that was wide seen arsenic a rebuke to Starmer’s party.

Since then, successful the archetypal fewer months of his leadership, Labour has recalibrated the UK’s positions connected the war. In July, the UK resumed funding for the United Nations bureau for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Earlier successful the year, Israel had accused respective UNRWA staffers of participating successful the October 7 onslaught connected its borderline communities, aft which the United Kingdom had joined aggregate Western nations successful suspending backing for the UN agency.

Also successful July, Britain lifted a ceremonial objection to the International Criminal Court’s close to contented apprehension warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, earlier introducing the suspension of immoderate weapons exports.

Yet, these changes are excessively little, excessively late, accidental British Muslim leaders and advocates for a ceasefire successful Gaza.

Joseph Willits, caput of parliamentary affairs astatine the Centre of Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), a nonprofit organisation connected British Middle East argumentation that promotes struggle solution and quality rights, said it was “astounding” that the British authorities “fails to act” amid the rising decease toll and Israeli attacks crossed Lebanon.

Since October 7, 2023, astatine slightest 43,204 Palestinians person been killed and 101,641 others person been injured successful Gaza. Israel has, since precocious September, besides started carpet bombing ample parts of Lebanon, portion sending crushed forces into its bluish neighbour.

“Israel’s genocidal intentions, and stated promises to ethnically cleanse [Gaza] are arsenic wide arsenic day, and yet inactive determination is simply a business-as-usual attack to Israel,” Willits told Al Jazeera. “Israel is not a bully religion histrion nor an ally, and nether nary condition should it beryllium treated arsenic such. The UK indispensable not beryllium an state oregon complicit successful Israeli atrocities.”

‘End each arms income to Israel’

Calls for the Labour authorities to bash much to halt the warfare are growing. Last week, much than 100 Muslim councillors from the Labour Party wrote to Prime Minister Starmer to telephone for an “immediate and implicit suspension of arms income to Israel”.

“We indispensable not beryllium complicit successful these wide violations of planetary humanitarian law. It is our motivation work to enactment now,” the missive read.

Willits, meanwhile, said that portion the existent authorities was “marginally little worse” than the erstwhile medication of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party’s determination to proceed to let exports of F-35 combatant pitchy parts to Israel risked undercutting its planetary credibility arsenic a dependable for planetary law. Those jets, helium pointed out, were “bombing Gaza and Lebanon”.

“If a UK authorities sees genocide and extermination taking spot successful Gaza and fails to enactment by ending each arms income to Israel, ne'er tin it ever talk of planetary instrumentality and atrocity prevention erstwhile it is complicit successful specified atrocities,” helium said.

According to a canvass by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and Caabu past May, 73 percent retired of the 2,053 radical who were surveyed betwixt May 1 and 2 supported an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza, and 55 percent wanted to extremity the merchantability of arms to Israel during the war.

Sanctions arsenic an option

Other experts excessively judge that Starmer’s authorities needs to research much steps to clasp Israel accountable nether planetary law.

Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, an planetary instrumentality prof astatine Bristol University, told Al Jazeera that portion the Labour authorities has taken a presumption that “reflects some amended instrumentality and amended policy” than the erstwhile government, it has inactive not recognised its obligations to planetary instrumentality to “actively” extremity the war.

“Whilst the absorption has been connected arms exports to Israel, it is important to retrieve that the UK has different planetary instrumentality obligations that necessitate it to instrumentality progressive steps to bring the existent battle connected Gaza to an extremity arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Cawthorne said, referencing the UK’s work to planetary humanitarian instrumentality and specifically the Geneva Convention, which outlines the mode soldiers and civilians indispensable beryllium treated during equipped conflict.

“This is due to the fact that determination is wide grounds of systematic, intentional violations of planetary humanitarian law.”

One tool, which the UK has utilized against Iran and Russia, is to authorisation “Israeli governmental and subject leadership”, helium said.

Earlier successful October, Starmer said helium was considering sanctioning 2 far-right Israeli leaders, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, owed to their inflammatory comments astir Palestinians successful Gaza.

Starmer was peculiarly asked astir Smotrich’s comments successful August wherever helium said starving Palestinians successful Gaza “may beryllium conscionable and moral” to get the Israeli captives held successful the enclave back. In the aforesaid month, Ben-Gvir called Israelis from amerciable settlements who were suspected of sidesplitting a 19-year-old Palestinian successful the occupied West Bank “heroes”.

Since Starmer made comments astir the sanctions, the UK has not taken immoderate enactment against the 2 Israeli ministers.