I think it's only appropriate to give praise where praise is due, and it was yesterday to Ed Miliband and to Andy Burnham for letting him say what he did in the House of Commons on a new foreign policy approach to Israel.
It can be argued that the sanctions that Ed Miliband announced yesterday may have little economic impact.
It can be said that more might have been announced.
Both of these things might be true, but the fact is that this was an enormously significant statement and a substantial rebuff to Keir Starmer, explicitly rejecting the comments that he made when Israel began its occupation of Gaza using inhumane methods of abuse. No wonder he wanted to quit the Commons.
It is very welcome that the UK government has made some important distinctions.
It has said that criticising anyone for being Jewish is unacceptable. At the same time, it has made entirely clear its view that criticising the Israeli government is not an act of antisemitism, because, of course, it never could have been.
It has made clear that Israeli occupation of the West Bank is illegal, which as a matter of fact, it is.
It has said that Israeli action in Gaza amounts to ethnic cleansing, because that is what it is and what it has been from the outset.
It has not yet said that the Israeli government has committed genocide, but it has made very clear that it is inclined to think that is the case and that it would support legal action to confirm that opinion.
These are major restatements of UK foreign policy, and without exception they are welcome.
The Tories, Labour Friends of Israel, and others did, of course, condemn Miliband for what he had to say. It is very difficult to condemn a Jewish man whose grandmother sought sanctuary in Israel after World War II for not being Jewish enough, but these charlatans tried to do just that. Concern for human life, the rule of law, and the rights of Palestinians, which are as important as the rights of Jews, matter nothing to them. Flag-waving to support the neo-fascism of Netanyahu and Trump does, and it is that flag-waving that Ed Miliband called out yesterday.
I was delighted to note that other countries, including France and Canada, have agreed to support the UK in this initiative. A realignment of international opinion around Israel has been long overdue. It would appear that we are going to get it.
I might be critical of Andy Burnham for his failings on economics, and his obvious endorsement, through his Chancellor of the Exchequer, of neoliberal economic policy that will be profoundly harmful to this country in the months and years to come, but he has made a difference by letting Ed Miliband make this statement, and by very publicly supporting him in an article in the Guardian this morning.
As I said at the start of this article, I think it is appropriate to recognise when praise is due, and on this occasion, it most definitely is.
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It is certainly possible to say that Milliband did not go far enough, but as a starting point I think I go with Thornberry’s comment: ‘At last’! I wonder how long Burnham has been planning this, because it shows that Milliband as foreign secretary was a really good choice.
Agreed, a welcome change in policy.
Yes Richard – has to be acknowledged – and quite surprising<p>
The BBC quizzing of Miliband R4 this morning was entirely from the ‘official’ deep state perspective of Israel ‘ – is it antisemitic, will it work, is it just a gesture?, etc etc<p>
BBC could have asked ‘what took you so long? there are seven hundred thousand settlers in the occupied West bank, the international court has said the occupation is illegal years ago, the two state solution is already dead’. But of course the BBC would never do that. The deep state official perspective remains the ‘objective’ perspective.<p>
But yes Richard , EM and AB have done the right thing and should be acknowledged.
I am pleasantly surprised – and I commend the government for these belated, small steps.
I see it as significant that they have (at last, after more than half a century)
1. Declared the occupation illegal.
2. Referred to the W Bank settler violence as terrorism.
3. Described what is happening in the W Bank to be ethnic cleansing.
So, I wonder what happens to any person or organisation “supporting” settlements, or supporting settlers, or the occupation, either financially, or verbally/with a banner/placard? What happens to the protester who says “I support the Israeli occupation – I support the West Bank settlers – I support the removal of Palestinians from Judaea and Samaria”. 14 years in jail?
And how long will it take the government’s speech therapist to help them get their tongues round the “g” word?
Gentle – General – genuflect – gentian – genetic – and – deep breath – just spit it out – genocide. There – not so difficult after all.
I also remain deeply suspicious. But its a start.
Agreed
Fully agreed. The difference between Stymied’s stance and this one could not be more stark and adds credence to the copious writing that has taken place about the subterfuge and dirty tricks of the Starmer Brigade.
Next stop: Burnham meets Trump.
My thoughts entirely. Seeing last night’s news, I said “At last they’re doing something useful!” And the Opposition’s response was woeful – they should have welcomed the government’s change of policy.
Woeful, indeed.
Thanks for this. I felt Ed Milliband was really genuine and the fact he is a Jew added to the gravitous. It was a welcome step change and as you rightly say whilst Burnham might not have initiated it, he had to agree to it. Whilst some of the my measures may not go far enough, the UK has stepped out and said enough is enough and hopefully this will put more pressure on Israel as the wider international community starts to openly condemn their actions.
I was unsure about Ed Milliband as foreign secretary. It didn’t feel a natural role for him, but if he carries on like this I’m all for it.