Opinion: Don't expect Labour to radically change the UK's position on Israel

Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories just over a week after Labour won a landslide election suggests the new UK government is placing renewed emphasis on the Gaza war.

At his meetings, with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, separately, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mohammad Mustafa, Lammy called for an “immediate” ceasefire.

This is a departure from the previous Conservative government’s line, which called only for a “humanitarian pause" that would hopefully lead to a “long-term sustainable ceasefire”.

For those hoping that Labour’s election slogan of “change” might extend to foreign policy in the Middle East, such a shift is welcome.

READ MORE: Don't expect Labour to radically change the UK's position on Israel, opinion by Christopher Phillips