“This is not a time to sit back, but to make an active difference.”
End arms sales to Israel was the clear message, as 100s joined the Palestinian Ambassador, writes Ben Hayes
Hundreds joined – and thousands more have watched back since – Labour and Palestine’s online event ‘Palestine: What Should The New UK Government Do?’ to discuss the steps Britain should be taking for Palestine and to bring an end the brutal siege of Gaza following the outcome of this month’s general election.
Chairing the forum, Labour Party NEC member Jess Barnard opened by reflecting on her visit to Palestine as part of a youth delegation in 2022 and witnessing the reality of life for students and workers living under occupation- emphasising that there will be “no excuses” not to act in government.
MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East Andy McDonald outlined what he considered “the principle task of a Labour government” on this question: “to shift towards global majority opinion in favour of the liberation of the Palestinian people”.
Calling for measures including an end to arms sales to Israel, recognition of a Palestinian state and the restoration of UNRWA funding, McDonald acknowledged that the Labour frontbench’s stance on the Parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire put forward by the SNP last year had “been a weight around our party’s neck” in the recent election campaign. He further argued that the shift in the leadership’s position on some issues, such as the ‘Boycott Bill’ proposed by the Tories, demonstrated that the pressure of the mass solidarity movement was having an impact. He concluded that the government needs to ensure practical pressure is applied in order to meet its stated aims on Palestine, and argued for an approach which reflects the commitment of grassroots Labour members.
The importance of ensuring that official positions are backed up by meaningful action was also touched on by Palestinian Ambassador H.E. Husam Zomlot, who thanked Labour and Palestine not only for convening the event but for all the work they have done since their foundation – noting the organisation’s work with affiliated unions and that the wider labour movement is “in line with our values”. Describing how the current offensive is “targeting lives and livelihoods” with a “clear trajectory” towards pushing out the entire population of Gaza, he said he had been “heartened by the overwhelming support from the British public” and believed that the new government would be “judged on the basis of its promises”. Whilst welcoming the leadership’s rhetoric that Israel cannot exercise a “veto” on Palestinian statehood, the Ambassador called for this and the push for a ceasefire to be backed up with action in terms of votes on international bodies – and stressed the government needed to acknowledge that “at the heart of this is not simply a disagreement but an issue of fundamental rights… it is time to make an ethical foreign policy a reality”.
Labour & Palestine’s Hugh Lanning argued that it was important for campaigners in Britain to remember the role of the solidarity movement: “make a difference on Palestine here and amplify the message of the Palestinian people rather than telling them what to do”. Calling for the new Labour cabinet to acknowledge Britain’s historic role in this question, he acknowledged that Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s comments “had touched on some of the issues”, whilst echoing calls that this must be followed up with concrete measures: “it is time to end impunity”. Lanning also encouraged support for L&P’s new statement on ending arms sales to Israel, and for activists based in the significant numbers of constituencies with a new MP to engage them on this campaign. The current period, he concluded, required a combination of work on all fronts, both inside and outside Parliament and internal party structures: “this is not a time to sit back, but to make an active difference”.
Closing the event, Barnard thanked all speakers, volunteers and attendees- and encouraged them to “keep speaking up” in this crucial time for the Palestinian people.
- Sign the petition here launched at the event calling on “The new UK Government to impose an embargo on arms sales to Israel.”
- ‘Palestine: What should the new UK Government do?‘ was hosted by Labour & Palestine on July 16th with Ambassador Husam Zomlot, Andy McDonald MP, Labour NEC member Jess Barnard and Hugh Lanning. You can watch the event here; or listen back on the Arise Festival Podcast.
- You can follow Arise Festival on Facebook, Instagram and twitter; and listen to the Arise Festival podcast on Spotify.
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