What a full boycott must include:
- End all defence agreements and halt armed supplies immediately
- Ban trade, block financial flows, restrict travel
- Break sporting, artistic, and academic links
- Begin war crimes investigations and prosecutions
Opposing these actions is not antisemitism. Allowing them to continue unchallenged would be a moral failure of historic proportions. Sanctions eventually ended apartheid in South Africa. Nothing less will do here — and the time is now.
This is the audio version:
This is the transcript:
There's an issue that the world is not talking about right now, and it is that Israel is now a rogue state by any meaningful definition that anyone could create.
It's waging illegal wars in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Iran. None of those actions has any justification in international law. All have been widely condemned by the international community, and the driving force behind all of them is deliberate racial prejudice against Palestinians and Muslims.
This is no longer a borderline case. It is a clear and present reality that threatens us all, and that's why we need to talk about it and what we can do about it.
What Israel is doing in Gaza meets the definition of genocide. The United Nations have said so via the International Criminal Court. We don't need to wait for another decision to know that to be the case. It's already happened. The scale, intent and indifference to human life shown there are unambiguous; civilians have died in considerable numbers: more than 70,000, at least to date, and we are now seeing the same thing happening in Lebanon.
The targeting of ambulances there, civilian ambulances manned by civilian crews, with deliberate targeting going on so that successive ambulances arriving at a scene are attacked one after the other, proves that Israel is targeting civilian infrastructure. These are not mistakes or collateral damage. They are policy, and they are contrary to international law that says such action is always and inevitably illegal. But so far the international community has not risen to the challenge that these actions do pose for us all, and it is not taking the urgent and collective action that is required in response to them.
Israeli policy in Gaza and the West Bank is apartheid in practice. It's built on systematic discrimination by the Israeli state against Palestinians. Palestinians do have a right to live in these territories. That right is being denied to them. They are being expelled from the places where they live. That is ethnic cleansing. That is a war crime, and at the same time, the claim of Jewish superiority that underpins this action is by definition antisemitic.
Anything that treats Jewishness as a basis for discrimination is, by definition, antisemitic, and by this definition, Israel's own actions are therefore antisemitic, whatever its supporters claim. You cannot use the status of a population and its ethnicity as the basis for discrimination, whoever you are, and that is what Israel is doing.
At the same time, we need to look at a broader level and note that the wars in Lebanon and Iran are now threatening global stability. Millions of people may die as a direct or indirect consequence if famine becomes commonplace, as it might during the course of 2026 because of an absence of fertiliser flows. Massive refugee crises are already forming and will grow. World economic disorder is a foreseeable consequence with serious outcomes for many all around the globe, and people in the UK are already facing higher costs and economic risks as a result.
Now, let's just contextualise this. I understand the arguments made by Israelis about the events of October 7 2023. However wrong that attack on Israeli civilians was, it does not justify the response that has happened since then. The fact is that under the rules of war, a response has to be proportionate. The response that Israel has put in place, as a consequence of that attack by Hamas, has been totally disproportionate, unjustified and inappropriate in international law. So, no one can now say that October 7 2023 was justification for what has happened since. That is simply not true.
At the same time, we have to recognise that there was no recognised threat posed by Iran that justified the attacks on both Lebanon and Iran by Israel and the USA. Again, a just war must be proportionate, and none of the actions of the USA and Israel in those wars has been. That's a simple, straightforward statement of fact, which it is impossible to challenge.
The response has been callously indifferent to civilian suffering. Civilian targets have been attacked. School children have died. Civilian hospitals and schools have been targeted. All of that shows precisely how indifferent Israel now is to the demands from the international community that it act appropriately. It isn't going to do that, and this is why we need to think about a different type of response to the crisis that we now face as a consequence of Israel being, as I've previously said, a rogue state.
And remember, we have been here before. South Africa provides us with the precedent for this situation. The world faced this kind of state-sponsored racial hatred in the 1970s and thereafter in South Africa, and we faced it, and we acted. We imposed sanctions, sporting boycotts, travel restrictions and financial limitations on South Africa as a consequence. We pursued political isolation. We imposed trade embargoes, and we created a demand for public accountability. Those measures worked. They did, and it took a long time to bring apartheid to an end. If it was right to sanction South Africa back in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, it is right to sanction Israel now. That is my argument, and let me slightly differentiate the cases of Israel and the United States here.
In the United States we still have a chance that democracy might yet deliver change. Trump may be rejected at the ballot box. That's my point. The fall of Viktor Orbán in Hungary shows that democratic correction is still possible in countries which are close to fascism, but Israel is a different case. Changing government in Israel has not changed policy in the past. Successive Israeli governments have maintained West Bank policy regardless. There is no sign now that removing Netanyahu would necessarily change policy on Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran.
The world cannot wait on Israeli democracy to solve a global problem this time. A full international boycott of Israel must now be put in place.
Defence agreements must be ended, and armed supplies halted.
Trade must be banned and financial flows must be blocked.
Travel must be restricted and tourism suspended.
Sporting, artistic and academic links must be broken.
Investigations into the abuses by Israeli politicians, officials and its military must begin now. We must be prepared to bring prosecutions when the right time comes. Plans for war crime trials are essential. Individual politicians, officials, and commanders must be named and profiled for this purpose.
The narrative around all this must be made absolutely clear, and the fact that none of it is antisemitic because racial intolerance is unacceptable from anyone must be made apparent.
But the fact is, these sanctions must also be general. Those who elect governments that commit these crimes must share the responsibility for them. That is why sanctions on South Africa were justified in the 1970s. The white population there that put in place the governments that imposed apartheid had to be sanctioned to ensure that change took place. Populations with democratic control of governments are not exempt from the consequences of their choices.
Let's just stand back. As a young man, I supported sanctions on South Africa. I had no hesitation at the time. I was doing this as long as 50 years ago. As an older man, I'm now calling for sanctions on Israel. The crimes now are comparable. I cannot morally distinguish the racism that drove the policy of both countries from the way that is now apparent in the actions of Israel. If it was right to impose sanctions in the 1970s, it is right to do so now on Israel. The world cannot afford to tolerate one state's feral behaviour at such a cost as the one that Israel is going to impose upon us all. In that case, nothing less than sanctions will do, and the time for them is now.
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I think I would argue that the USA is a rogue state too.
I could. I do. But there is a route out there.
“driving force behind all of them is deliberate racial prejudice against Palestinians and Muslims”…. and Christians. There are a good number of Christians in both Palestine and Lebanon. They are as much targeted by Israelis as Muslims.
Otherwise, I agree 100%. That this is not happening shows the moral black hole in what passes for UK and EU politics. Either politicos have been captured by Israeli-interests or the politicos have no morals. It is irrelevant which it is – the current crop have to go, they have stood around doing nothing for decades, green-lighting Israeli action which gets worse over time – & in terms of the EU, the Germans are the worst, the entire political establishment giving the green-light to Israeli genocide (indeed helping it).
Another excellent piece from Richard – Thanks
Mike agreed, but ….”Either politicos have been captured by Israeli-interests ”
….I dont think there is any doubt about who owns many MPs
https://www.declassifieduk.org/friends-of-israel-groups-have-funded-56-trips-for-british-politicians/
and – though this is a couple of years old –
https://www.declassifieduk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/All-Party-Israel-Lobby-Full-List-Edited.pdf
[…] delivering peace, the likelihood of the world turning both on the USA and, particularly, on Israel (as I note in this morning's video), as the two states that are creating mayhem, economic pain, and real suffering for countries […]
But, according to a report by Skwawkbox on The Canary,
“The Starmer government’s Foreign Office (FCDO) has closed down its unit that tracked Israeli atrocities and breaches of humanitarian law in Gaza and Lebanon.”
How do these people live with themselves?
May I make a few observations
Firstly – and I have met three people who met him and were greatly impressed by him as a person is that there is the need for some kind of Palestinian Nelson Mandela, someone who has the vision to be able to do what was achieved in South Africa.
The other point is that there was a lot of concern towards the end of the Apartheid Regime that it might be overthrown by the majority community. That would lead to a large number of white South Africans with the right to settle in the UK coming here with both their abhorrent racial views and probably a good dose of mental turmoil to boot. Apart from the fact that they could be enormously disruptive the fact that they had the ability to return to the UK may well have made many white South Africans less willing to consider change than might otherwise have been the case.
I suggest that for many if not almost all Israeli’s as they either hold or have a right to a second citizenship they have a bolt hole that everyone else in the Middle East does not and as a result less incentive to settle.
If there was some way of denying Israeli’s the right to return to at least Europe as Citizens or ideally remove their ‘dual nationality’ that might encourage them to support a negotiated settlement with their neighbours and behaviour more in line with International norms and Law.
Could we start by removing British citizenship from dual nationals who serve in the IDF? We could call it ‘Shamima’s Law’.
Israel is well aware of the danger of Nelson Mandela, which is why Marwan Barghouti has been in jail since 2002 and will never be released. He could well be that figure.
I agree. Meanwhile,
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/04/25/starmer-israel-war-crime/?__s=3iinvcinzioalfu223al
– though closing this unit down does not mean Israel’s war crimes are not apparent!
Totally agree and brave of you to say so. I expect your websites will be targeted by the Israelis and their supporters and our pro Israeli press will start running critical articles. Stay strong.
We can also individually, as consumers, sanction Israel by boycotting Israeli products. A couple of weeks ago I was disappointed to find a well-known supermarket selling Israeli avocados. many remained unsold on the shelves. Last time I shopped there, no such avocados were to be found. It may be a small and insignificant step but if consumers unite in boycotting ordinary household goods then it could attain a greater significance. I would also put a shout out to the Co-op for selling Brewgooder lager produced in conjunction with Taybeh craft brewery in Palestine. I understand that Taybeh is one of the oldest Christian settlements in the world but still the Israelis are trying to force out the Palestinian Christians.
Aldi regularly sell large loose avocados from Israel.
Their medjoul dates (sold during Ramadan for use in Iftar meals) had NO country of origin information. I wonder why?
The tragedy here is that it could have been different. In 2002 the Arab states offered full recognition of Israel on 1967 borders ( which is 78% of Mandate era Palestine ) They wanted talks on a right to return or compensation. The Israeli Right ( not all Israelis) refused to offer more than ‘county council’ powers with Israel controlling ‘security’. They do not recognise a ‘Palestinian nation.’. Even if we accept their ‘historical’ arguments -which I don’t- a nation is what enough people determine it to be. Israel itself is an example. In 1776 there was no American nation, by 1783 there was. The treatment of the Arab population, their resistance and the foreign support have created a de facto nation.
Really since Camp David almost 50 years ago, the US has gone along with Israeli demands. If they had insisted on an end to settlements and a full Palestinian state, and were ready to back it in the UN and limit subsidies and arms sales, we could have had a deal. The incentive to join a militant organisation would have been much reduced and the Arab states have every reason to police such organisations.
Some Arab writers like Rashid Khalidi who wrote ‘Brokers of Deceit’ will add the leaders of the Arab states and the Palestinian leadership have also failed in many ways.
We know the reasons why the US govt has accepted Israeli demands -mainly due to domestic US politics. And there are similar malign influences here too. They must be challenged.
Fully support your post today. Hope it is widely read.
On the other hand Iran has stated its intention to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and have sponsored terrorist groups to constantly attack Israel for decades. How would you propose Israel deal with that threat to protect its people? Diplomacy and negotiation certainly hasn’t worked.
It has not carried out that threat
It could not do so. We all know that
The required response is proportionate, and is purely defensive.
What Israel has done is nothing of the sort.
Do you like being an apologist for murder and genocide? Why? Does it thrill you?
“It has not carried out that threat It could not do so. We all know that”
What a ridiculous reply. Yet again you turn a blind eye to the terrorist groups Iran sponsor.
Not at all
I condemn terrorism, as I condemned what happened on October 7 2023.
But, seemingly unlike you, I do not demand genocide as a result.
Shelia, a few points…
1. Armed resistance to occupation is allowed in international law. Israel occupies parts of Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, beyond Israel’s internationally constituted 1947 borders as recognised in international law and has behaved increasingly brutally during such occupations. Do you disagree?
2. The Likud charter states that from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, there shall be Israeli sovereignty (contrary to international law). They are carrying out that threat violently right now, and have been doing so, for 80 years. It is the stated policy of the current Israeli government and is costing tens of thousands of innocent human lives. Do you disagree?
4. Hamas was promoted and encouraged by Netanyahu, including with cash to undermine Fatah and the PA, with the aim of sabotaging them as peace partners. Who said so? Netanyahu. Do you disagree?
5. Hezbollah are a significsnt part of the complicated failing administration of Lebanon, not just a random terrorist proxy of Iran in Lebanon. Do you disagree?
6. In any list of terror organisations, however defined, however measured, it is impossible to exclude Israel, unless you somehow refuse to recognise Arabs, Palestinians, or Iranians as human beings and also ignore international humanitarian law? Do you disagree?
Thank you
Caitlin Johnstone has an article out today suggesting that everything you have posted here (and we agree with) would be classed as antisemitic and suppressed in Australia.
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/australias-antisemitism-envoy-makes
No criticism of Israel allowed at all.
How long before the UK follows?
Not long
I may be horribly brain fogged through lack of sleep due to Long Cpvid on top of ME/CFS, but I’m pretty sure that Starmer is married to a Jewish Lady. So I doubt he’s going to criticise Israel in any way, or stop supporting them with arms.
We don’t like to see all that death and destruction. Do you think that the actions and stated intentions of Hamas and Hezbollah might have some responsibility for what has resulted.
Yes
But Israeli response is utterly disproportionate
Don’t seek to forgive them
I am nit forgiving anyone – but can be proportionate
I accept that the stated intentions and actions of Hamas and Hezbollah may have some responsibility, but the issues did not start with their actions. They started in 1947 and have continued, with blame on all sides, since then. But the current genocide is out of all proportion to the threat.
Correct
Yes Richard. But this has been obvious for two years, and yet ‘our’ government has doubled down on doing absolutely nothing. They have been trying to ban pro Gaza protests, they have continued collaborating with Israeli military, and continued meeting Israeli government officials.<p>
I hadn’t realised that targeted assassinations of politicians, journalists, medics etc – has always been a part of the greater-Israel strategy. This is what rogue states od.<p>
Labour have continued weaponizing antisemitism as the entryist Labour Together faction did to take of the party.<p>
They are probably going to pass yet a further anti protest law this week. Some of us lobbied our MP’s against it . It gives police unprecedented powers, and the govt. have rejected a 110,000 petition calling for an investigation of Israel penetration and funding of politics in the UK<p>
Its out there in plain sight. A high proportion of MP’s funded by pro-Israel lobbyists<p>
But Richard millions agree with you. But there isn’t the slightest chance anything will be done. Our deomcracy is riddled with corruption – we are complict with a rogue state. In this sense we are also a rogue state.
This by published by De-classified before the last election.
The sums are not huge compared to the donations by AIPAC in the US but there are other ways of influencing and use of patronage.
Some of the people may also belong to the Friends of Palestine. Some names there I didn’t expect to see.
https://www.declassifieduk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/All-Party-Israel-Lobby-Full-List-Edited.pdf
A list of alleged targeted assassinations since foundation of the state of Israel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
While I agree 100% about Israel I don’t agree that the same action should not be taken against USA. I realise that the USA has greater power than Israel and could/would inflict serious harm on those countries sanctioning it, and that may be a reason to delay action. I worry, slightly, that the Israeli people will react aggressively to a perceived threat to their nation (which properly applied sanctions would be) and may give an election result that is worse than would have been.
Noted
Listening to israeli social media accounts, I’d argue this mischaracterises their motives and views, and would both fail to get change and cause doubling down.
Their view is since their founding they’ve had to defend their nation continously against those who’ve wanted to destroy them, declaring war multiple times. They’ve offered peace to arabs and palestinians repeatedly, the former with Egypt and Jordon showing Israel happy to make sacrifices to get peace if genuine… The latter, with camp david 2000, Gaza withdrawel and Olmert having genuine attempts spat on. Since then, they’ve taken an ‘ignore it – they’ll go away approach’, as Iran spent billions on proxies that’ve ruined lebanon, yemen and armed Gaza.
Oct 7th was an invasion/ declaration of war by Hamasi-Gaza, no different to Pearl harbour, their response no different (civilian survivability far better than Okinawa despite ununiformed enemies misusing health and aid infrastructure). They’ve realised Iran’s swords of Damocles aren’t idle threats, but are easily snappable, which they feel justified in doing. No israeli account I’ve read has issues with Lebanon, they hate Hezbollah which repeatedly attacks them. They dream of weakening it enough for Lebanon to disarm them, normalising relationships.
You can think that’s delusion, that your policies are moral and just, they won’t care, neither will many countries where Iran/islamism are the big threat and Israel a key ally.
Implementing with viable off ramps could be different. E.g. pause sanctions if Olmert is back on the table, even if the Palestinians don’t respond. Or they fully withdraw, vowing defensive action only, receiving Nato article 5 cover in return. Or we offer troops to help Lebanon disarm Hezbollah, and/or ensure key civilian & aid infrastructure isn’t misused.
I think this still avoids the central issue.
You are explaining how many Israelis may perceive events, and I do not doubt that history, insecurity and trauma shape those views. The legacy of repeated wars, terrorism and regional hostility is real.
But historical grievance does not create a licence for permanent occupation, collective punishment, settlement expansion, or the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Nor does it exempt any state from international law.
Equally, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime can be criticised — and should be where appropriate — without that becoming justification for everything the Israeli government does.
That is where much of this debate goes wrong. It too often becomes a demand to choose between absolutes.
I do not accept that framing.
The rights of Israelis to live in security are real. The rights of Palestinians to live in freedom, dignity and security are equally real.
Those goals are not incompatible. But they require political leadership that currently appears absent on all sides. Endless military escalation has manifestly failed to deliver lasting security for anyone.
There are many, including me, who would dispute your explanation of who is standing in the way of peace and has done gor decades.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-official-netanyahu-sabotaged-deals-but-calling-him-out-wouldve-helped-hamas/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-netanyahu-accused-sabotaging-ceasefire-efforts
https://english.palinfo.com/reports/2025/07/12/343115/
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/8/14/less-flexible-just-say-it-nyt-israel-is-sabotaging-a-ceasefire-deal
https://dohanews.co/sabotage-as-strategy-the-israeli-pursuit-of-greater-israel/
https://news.sky.com/story/did-israel-sabotage-the-best-chance-of-ending-the-war-in-lebanon-13222523
It goes back a long way. Even Yitzhac Rabin and Anwar Sadat were sacrificed to it.
Palestinians have been forced to pay a terrible price for what white Europeans have done to Jews for centuries.
JG, you saidd
“they won’t care, neither will many countries where Iran/islamism are the big threat and Israel a key ally.”
Could you, perhaps, identify some of those many countries, please?
I think it is worth mentioning Israel’s recent incursions into Syria too.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, they’ve occupied: the 1974 UN buffer zone; the Syrian side of Mt Hermon, the highest peak in the region; the Yarmouk Basin and the al-Wedha Dam, giving them control of the region’s water supply. They launched airstrikes on Damascus, while the occupation was taking place.
Israel claims these manoeuvres are temporary security measures, but my inner cynic doubts Israel’s definition of “temporary” matches mine.
What would you call supporters of rogue states ?
Racists?
Collaborators in war crimes, so war criminals.
Note that Australia’s antisemitism Czar has published a handbook stating antiZionism and opposition to Israel is antisemitism. This of course is antisemitic in itself
Agreed
Agreed, with same caveat as Mike Parr about Palestinian and Arab Christians in Gaza, West Bank, and increasingly overtly, in East Jerusalem and the key holy sites and of course in Lebanon. There are also around a million Christians of various ethnicities in Iran, where the underground Farsi church is growing fast especially amongst the young.
Palestinian Christians overwhelmingly endorse non-violence but are not passive in their resistance. They feel let down and ignored by the Western church, both in politics and theology. They represent one of the most ancient Christian communities in the world.
For some reason our “Judaeo-Christian values” don’t seem to require us to listen to them.
References to learn more: search for:
Jack Sara, Munther Isaac, Yohanna Katanacho, CSBV – Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, Christ at the Checkpoint Conference – to discover more from a persecuted, oppressed and suppressed community.
Sanctions are essential.
With “allies” like Israel and the USA, who needs enemies?
Russia and Iran have been sanctioned for years. Yet we call Israel and USA allies. We deserve the contempt of the rest of the world.
Thanks. Appreciated. I stuck my neck out today.
Richard, as a Quaker you are clearly a terrorist. It is well known that their pacifism makes Quakers especially dangerous. Just be careful not to be found carrying a sheet of cardboard and marker pens.
sorry me again
The Archbishop of York visited the West Bank in November to see Christians living there. The report seems to be no longer available but most of his speech is here https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/archbishop-of-york-speaks-about-what-he-saw-in-palestine/
To reply to Sheila above, Hamas and Houthis existed before Iran gave them aid . America gives massive aid to Israel. Southern Lebanon is full of Shia displaced during the Nakba and when Israel invaded, Iran helped them set up a resistance organisation. They also have a civil wing which Naomi Klein in ‘Shock Therapy’ cites as being useful in setting up clinics etc ( with Iranian money )
Iran actually said the regime should be ‘wiped off the Earth’ and subsequent statements have said this is not about wiping out a people. If Israel came to the sort of agreement I indicated this morning, most observers say Iran would accept it if the Arabs did. In short the conflict is not essentially about racism and religion. It is more about land and colonialism.
Don’t forget the Jews in Iran. Synagogue bombed by by Israel
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/being-jewish-and-anti-zionist-in-iran/
There are criteria for a rogue state: (1) Generally authoritarian. Iran killed 40,000 civilians in a weekend and has a shoot to kill policy for dissenters. Israel is a fully functioning democracy and judiciary with daily protests. Netanyahu’s unpopularity pre 7/10 was due to his plans to limit judicial power. (2) WMD intended for offensive use – N Korea and Iran nuclear aspirations. NK did more banned tests only 2 days ago and KJ-I offered nuclear warheads to Iran to annihilate Israel. (3) State sponsor of terrorism – The IRGC created the Quds Force for this purpose – MI5 reported 20 foiled Iran plots in in the UK in 2025 alone – with help from Mossad. (4) Violate human rights – 2 million Arab Israelis (Palestinians) live peaceably in Israel. Iran has been largely ethnically cleaned of its 100k+ Jews. (5) Disregard for diplomacy – Hamas refuse to disarm, blocking Gaza development, Iran refuses to comply with its non-proliferation obligation (the reason for the current war), Hezbollah refuse to disarm per UN resolutions and Lebanon law. Israel military intelligence and Mossad work with their allies, including the UK, to protect their interests. Yesterday UAE, with whom Israel signed an accord in September 2020, thanked Israel for providing Iron Dome that largely protected them from Iran’s attacks. Israel just entered major economic agreements with India. It has normalised with former enemies Jordan and Egypt, and is now working with Syria and Lebanon.
7 October was primarily intended to draw Israel into a bloody conflict and raise Hamas’ profile, hence the emphasis on hostages (whose release determined the peace agreement) and turning Gaza into a killing zone. Every square inch was mined and booby-trapped for a northern attack, which is why the IDF land forces went south.
You are entitled to make the case that Iran displays many characteristics associated with rogue states. There is certainly ample evidence of repression at home, support for proxy militias abroad, and behaviour that has destabilised the region.
But none of that answers the question I raised about Israel.
One state’s misconduct does not excuse another’s.
Israel can be a democracy for some of its citizens and still face serious questions about its treatment of Palestinians. Those questions are not invented. They arise from occupation, settlement expansion, collective punishment, and the scale of civilian suffering in Gaza.
Equally, Hamas’s atrocities on 7 October were indefensible. I have said so repeatedly. Taking hostages and murdering civilians are war crimes.
But if the argument is that because Hamas acted barbarically, any response is justified, then that is precisely how endless cycles of violence are sustained.
The real issue is this: no state should be above international law, whether that state is Iran, Israel, the US, or anyone else. I apply the same standard to all of them. I am happy for sanctions on Iran to remain. I can suggest the same for Israel then, and maybe the USA in due course.
I can challenge just about everything in the response by StevenS (I’ll pass on N Korea, as I don’t have the data), either by refuting it with verification, (usually from Israeli sources), or showing that the criticism can be applied to Israel – for example, the Israel’ s use of terrorist militia in Gaza, to police the so-called ceasefire – but I’ve posted enough on this thread already. I smell Hasbara. Israel is a rogue state, but one uniquely protected from accountability, by a huge but currently failing propaganda and lobbying effort.
It seems that nowhere is free from comments defending and justifying the murder of tens of thousands of Gazan children, and the maiming and orphaning of many others?
Apparently so.
Surely we should not overlook the meddling of the so-called Great Powers in the Middle East going back over many years.
It was after all the British who invented the concentration camp in the Boer War.
thankyou for speaking up… we are all feeling silenced. Just a few points. Nobody seems to mention Israel’s nuclear arsenal that they remain coy about while it is known that have about a dozen nuclear warheads that they have stated they would use. They have never come under any kind of inspection system and do not belong to nuclear treaties. Given the obvious bad blood between Israel and Iran why should Iran have to give up their weapons if Israel does not, Iran obviously believes it needs them for their security against Israel. maybe both countries should give them up. Also the universal condemnation of the October attacks conveniently forgets that Hamas attacked the military bases just outside the Gaza border before going on to attack civilians; this is how they managed to have so many IDF soldiers as hostages. It was only after a late response from Israel that killings of civilians started and even then an over reaction by Israel resulted in many deaths at the music festival being caused by Israeli helicopter fire and tanks shells being fired into Kibbutz houses. All those burned cars were not caused by Hamas. For more than two years now the world has watched a genocide unfold in front of our eyes while our politicians have done nothing other than try and shut down legitimate protest. Definitely time to sanction Israel and fire up the criminal court system.
The 2012 documentary The Gatekeepers interviews 6 former Shin Bet leaders. Its a revelation.Bibi did not watch it.
There are over 2000 international arrest warrants for pedophiles which Israel just ignores. Its an issue in Israel ,Haaretz and other media calling out the goverment for welcoming them into the country. Evidently its not aproblem for the British media because its not Muslims doing it.
[…] blog posts I can write and publish without spending much time thinking about the risks involved. Yesterday‘s video, in which I described Israel as a rogue state and called for sanctions upon it, was not one of […]
Thank you Richard. An excellent honest piece that needs to be said. Glad you had the courage to say what many people are thinking. I wonder what the Israeli nation are being told by their evil leaders. I wholeheartedly agree with all you say. My schoolfriend’s mother was a Jew but married out of her faith and was immediately ostracised by her religion and family….forever.
My brother was in the British Army in 1947 in Palestine. He commented that the Arabs were so friendly and polite ..he said the Israelis were cruel and nasty..that may have been occasioned by the fact that they tried to kill him!…however he was a witness to what happened in Palestine..
@ Maggie Wallace
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/04/26/israel-is-a-rogue-state/comment-page-1/#comment-1077115
I’m VERY uncomfortable with the suggestion that a British citizen’s ethnicity or religion should lead to assumptions about their support for the policies of the government of Israel.
We do NOT need to bring Starmer’ family into it (although Starmer does, quite regularly).
He has declared himself to be a political supporter of Zionism, “100%, unqualified”, and he and his government are complicit in Israel’s crimes.
But NOT because his wife is Jewish, we must be clear about that.
Agreed
I should not have posted Maggie’s comment for that reason, much as I like most of Maggie’s comments.