UK's Burnham Apologises For Labour’s Response To Gaza Conflict

LONDON, July 10 (PA Media/dpa) -- UK Member of Parliament Andy Burnham backed further sanctions against Israeli figures involved in settler violence as he apologized for Labour’s initial response to the country’s actions in Gaza.

The likely next prime minister said the UK should be “clear in our criticism of what has happened in Gaza,” while also condemning Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 and subsequent acts of anti-Semitic violence in Britain.

In a video posted to social media, he said: “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.”

While he acknowledged Labour had subsequently recognized a Palestinian state, imposed restrictions on arms exports and sanctioned some Israeli ministers, he suggested a government under his leadership would go further.

Burnham said: “Let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire and we must now do more to strengthen our approach.”

He added that action would include “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”.

But he stopped short of accusing Israel of perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians, as some Labour lawmakers have.

Burnham said there was “increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed,” but added it was ultimately a matter for international courts rather than politicians to determine.

Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali accused Burnham of hiding behind international courts “because admitting that the British Government knows war crimes are being committed would trigger a legal duty to immediately halt arms sales.”

Ali compared Burnham’s comments to condemnation of Russia, saying: “If you asked Andy Burnham whether Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine, he’d say ‘yes’.”

In his statement, Burnham said he was “appalled by what I have seen and read about the destruction of Gaza,” describing the experience of Palestinians in the territory as “a scar on our collective conscience.”

And he stressed his condemnation of both the October 7 attacks by Hamas and antisemitic violence in Britain, saying: “We must continue to stamp out antisemitism across the UK.”

Labour’s initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza, including resisting demands to call for an immediate ceasefire, drew strong criticism from some of the party’s supporters, with the issue driving a significant shift of particularly younger voters towards the Green Party.

On Thursday, trade minister Chris Bryant said the government was “actively considering” a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements, but suggested there were challenges around determining the source of goods.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told a conference hosted by the Chatham House think tank that the government was already “looking at what more we can do” on both sanctions and restrictions on trade.

Asked about Burnham’s comments, she said: “I think some of the things that he’s talked about today is about recognizing how devastating it is, the humanitarian crisis that is happening now in Gaza, and also the escalating tensions around the West Bank.

“I think also I know from conversations I’ve had with him, he is interested in some of the points that I was talking about earlier about areas that we’re looking at to try and go further around the sanctions regime and also looking at the issues around trade with illegal settlements.”

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