Op-Ed video: Labour, Israel and the problem of David Lammy
It's been argued that the Starmer government will not meaningfully shift UK policy on Gaza and the escalating regional conflict.
This is due to the "structural realities" of declining British power and influence, and its need to remain close to the US and Europe in supporting Israel, despite the horrors it has inflicted on Palestinians.
It is certainly true that the UK’s position is much diminished in terms of influence in the Middle East than it once was. We are a junior partner in the US-led military umbrella supporting Israel and the various pro-western dictatorships that rule the region.
But the idea that Britain doesn't really want to get that involved in the Middle East is wholly disproven by the reality of its actions and vital interests: the UK is part of the military alliance backing Israel, bombing Yemen, and shooting down Houthi drones in the Red Sea, says Middle East Eye journalist Joe Gill.
If Labour wanted to signal disengagement, new foreign secretary David Lammy’s second foreign visit after Washington would not have been to Jerusalem, with his uneasy rictus-smile photo opportunity with a grinning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Lammy, while making meaningless calls for a ceasefire, did not admit that Netanyahu has sabotaged every tentative ceasefire deal, that Israel rejects out of hand a two-state solution, and that Netanyahu has stated he wants the war to continue indefinitely until Hamas is “destroyed”, which his own army has stated is not possible.
"Western allies have distanced themselves from Israel and called out its atrocities including Spain Belgium and Colombia, the UK could do likewise," said Gill.
"Nothing significant came of the visit other than the optics of the UK stand standing with Israel and treating it as an ally rather than a rogue state facing charges of genocide and war crimes at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."
The views expressed in this video belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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