“It’s very simple: until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it remains complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians.”
Jeremy Corbyn
By our correspondent
This week saw a significant development in the campaign to establish the full truth about the government’s role in Gaza.
On Wednesday 4th June, MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn presented the Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill to Parliament. This would establish an independent public inquiry into Britain’s involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza, and require the full co-operation from ministers who have taken part in decision-making processes since October 2023 (including both the current government and its Conservative predecessor).
The Bill passed without division, and will now be on the Order paper for the 4th of July (but is unlikely to be heard).
However, immediately before the Bill, there was a ministerial statement on the situation in Gaza. Corbyn asked if the government would support his call for an inquiry. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Hamish Falconer all but rejected it by replying: “I do not see that this could be any further scrutinised and litigated (…) or what an independent inquiry would achieve.”
Corbyn argued that the inquiry should find out the full list of military shipments to Israel, stating: “It’s very simple: until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it remains complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians.”
He also called for the inquiry to uncover what exactly RAF Akrotiri is being used for, examine the supply of arms and intelligence, and called for the publication of legal advice over its assessment of genocide.
Speaking in Parliament, Corbyn said:
“We have not just been witnessing a war. We have been witnessing a genocide, livestreamed before the entire world. (…) Today, children are taught about history’s worst crimes against humanity. They are asked to reflect on how these crimes could have possibly occurred. In the future, our history books will shame those who had the opportunity to stop this massacre but chose to enable atrocity after atrocity instead (…) Some politicians have finally started to backtrack. Perhaps they are frightened by the consequences of their inhumanity. If they had any integrity, they would weep for the 61,000 Palestinians who have been buried under the rubble by their moral and political cowardice. (…) We will continue to campaign for the truth, accountability and, most importantly, justice for the people of Palestine.”
- You can read the debate in full on Hansard here.
- Jeremy Corbyn is the Member of Parliament for Islington North- you can follow him on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and TikTok.
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
