Op-Ed video: Who is the real threat to British democracy?

David Hearst, Editor-in-Chief of Middle East Eye, critically examines the British parliamentary debate over the Gaza ceasefire. He points out: “Poll after poll shows that a clear majority of Britons have had enough of this war - 66 percent are calling for a ceasefire without preconditions.” Yet, the Labour Party introduced a motion imposing conditions favouring Israel, diverging from public opinion.

Hearst describes an unexpected turn where the debate over safety concerns overshadowed the core issue of Gaza ceasefire: “A vote about Gaza became a vote about alleged intimidation of MPs.”

Hearst asks "who is subverting British democracy?” The answer: "The unholy alliance of the neoconservatives and Islamophobes which attacks free speech, promotes anti-Muslim hatred and seeks to silence all debate on Israel".

Hearst concludes by saying that the silencing of the Israel debate and the sidelining of international law could fundamentally change British democracy's core values​.