Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader and British prime minister
By Bernard Moerdler,
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader and British prime minister, apologized for Labour's failure to take a harder line against Israel at the start of its military campaign in Gaza, and said Britain must now increase pressure on the Israeli government. "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," Burnham said in an interview with The Guardian. He said Britain had been late to call for a ceasefire and that Labour needed to do better under his leadership.
Burnham said he would consider further sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities and a possible ban on trade in goods from what he called "illegal settlements." He acknowledged Britain had already recognized Palestinian statehood, sanctioned Israeli ministers and what he called "violent settlers," and restricted arms licenses so that British-made munitions could not be used by the IDF, but said those measures had not gone far enough. He described the suffering in Gaza as a "scar on our collective conscience," criticized what he called a surge in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and said Netanyahu's government was seeking to make a two-state solution impossible.
Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister and Labour leader on June 22 after heavy Labour losses in local elections, and remains in office until a successor is chosen. Nominations opened today, and the contest is due to conclude before the summer recess.
Topics: Gaza, IDF, Israeli Politics
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.