As the New York Times says in an email this morning:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Trump are said to be working on a deal that would present Hamas with an ultimatum: release the remaining hostages and agree to terms that would disarm the group, or Israel's military campaign would continue.
Three thoughts.
First, of course, Hamas should release all its Israeli hostages. Hostage taking is utterly unacceptable.
Second, of course, Israel should release all its Palestinian hostages. Hostage taking is utterly unacceptable.
Third, if Hamas is destroyed, it will be replaced. You cannot commit genocide on people and expect them to surrender and accept it as the USA and Israel are demanding; it is simply not going to happen, meaning that this proposed outcome is impossible to deliver: it is not going to happen.
It is not going to happen any more than Starmer's demand that Hamas recognise that it can have no role in the future of Palestine is going to happen. If Palestine is to be a state, and it must be, it is for the people of Palestine to decide that, not Trump, Netanyahu or Starmer, and there is a long record of former 'terrorist leaders' going on to lead their states. Leave aside Mandela, and just look at Eamon de Valera in Ireland.
These demands are undeliverable then. Anyone can see that. They are, in other words, excuses for the continuing genocide.
So, Starmer has to decide. Does he break with Trump and condemn this and support the right of the Palestinian people to decide?
Or, does he continue to support genocide?
Oddly, it is that simple in his case, and there is very little in between, apart from promoting the obvious, which is the need for an international peacekeeping force to deliver aid to Gaza from the sea, and to tell Israel it must accept that this will happen, which it could, virtually overnight.
It's Starmer's choice. He can do the right thing. Or book his ticket for The Hague.
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If I had the time, I’d crowd fund a first class ticket – on Eurostar of course – and have it delivered to Starmer and Lammy personally with a bit of a fanfare.
The sad fact is Richard that unless there is a major shift in global power away from America and the “West”, those mentioned who are supporting and enabling genocide by murder and starvation, will never see The Hague!
So, we have to work for that change.
Of course I agree with the points made.
The core problem is that Israel wants Gaza (& the West Bank) & wants to incorporate them into Israel. Given that the EU has stood to one side and watched genocide for +/- 2 years, the Israeli calculation is that it is unlikly to do anything when Gaza & the west bank are annexed. Standing in the way of this are people: Israel+Gaza+West bank arabs & christians = 6.9 million. Jews living in Israel and West Bank = 7.2 million. From an Israeli gov point of view, a bit too close for comfort (one could end up with a non-zionist goverment – can’t have that can we?). Given the numbers, my guess is that the genocide will continue if only because, Europe and the UK has done nothing to stop it (hand wringing does not count) and the USA simply does not care – it never has.
I fear you are right
And the US with UK and EU submission is letting that happen by suggesting terms they know to be be impossible to meet, and wilfully so.
Did we learn nothing from 1945?
Learnt from 1945? Nope. Humans you see.
& for those that think I am holier than thou – if I had gone through the Israeli education system & been taught to hate – I’d be out there now, murdering Gazans and thinking it quite justifiable (or ordering others to do so). We delude ourselves if we think this is all to do with Net&yahoo and his acolytes. In the same way, Nuremberg was a fig leaf (look we got the guilty men – oh please) which ignored the role of e.g. the German civil service (no extermination of European jews without it) . Thus Gaza is being facilitated by much of Israeli-jewish society (Arab-israelis are keeping their heads well down) & the Israeli body politic knows that they have the support of most of this society and knows that Europe will do tokenism as it always has due to a guilty conscience dating back to 1945.
But: the status quo for for Israel, rests on a USA able to support Israel. As this blog has shown, the USA is starting to fall to pieces, when it does, conditions in the “middle east” will change & readers can feel free to speculate on the nature of these changes.
Power tends to repeat the same tropes endlessly. Because it’s always the same trick repackaged. This time it’s freedom packaged as neoliberalism framed as ‘you can be all be free when you’re billionaires’. Always elite models framed as normal. I despair that people from similar socioeconomic class backgrounds as my own voted for Johnson to ‘get Brexit done’ and now some are contemplating voting for a grifter like Farage. I am aware that many people from the very bottom of the social pile with little if any job security living in towns or areas where there is bad housing, no decent shops or services and sometimes crime and anti social activity and hostile people whoever gets in power why some of them opt for destruction or the worst option because the ‘nicer’ parties don’t really care either. Nevertheless, I still don’t understand how a poor person votes for a wealthy connected person who ultimately doesn’t give a flying f*ck about them.
Calling such people stupid is non productive because they do have concerns but it’s a hard task to explain that to so many.
1. I am shocked that you’re equating the Israeli hostages to convicted Palestinian terrorists. How dare you call them Palestinian ‘hostages’. I suggest that you read the case files for their crimes.
2. ‘Genocide’ – disgraceful that you use this term to describe what is happening in Gaza.
What this has to do with tax research is beyond me other than to fuel your agenda.
Thousands of Palestinians are held without trial. How do you justify that?
Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have committed war crimes. 27 innocent people were shot yesterday by Israeli soldiers. Every one of them is a criminal now.
And Israel is deliberately killing a population by starvation. How and why else are children a few months old dying of starvation? What sort of debased inhumane form of being are you who thinks that is not genocide? How can you not treat Palestinians with mutual respect? What has so corrupted your mind that you cannot recognise and call out the truth? To whom have you sold your very humanity?
Palestinians resisting the slow annexation of their land are tried in military courts with no proper representation. I wonder what we would do in the situation of the Palestinians?
I know what I would do.
@ Ian @ Richard
What exactly would you do?
What would you do?
Would you stand by and watch whilst your community was destroyed?
Really?
Why?
Explain.
Gaza is being destroyed because Hamas attacked Israel, raped and murdered 1200 odd people and took 250 hostages.
Up and until that point Israel wasn’t doing anything.
I mean, you said it. Would you stand by and watch as terrorists who want to kill all Jews attack your community?
Or is it a different rule for Israel as opposed to Palestinians, who overwhelmingly support Hamas?
Seems like your support is very one sided.
So tell me properly, what exactly do you support? Seems like you don’t support Israel’s right to self defence but you do support violent attacks on Israel.
John
You are a liar.
Israel has been attacking Gaza and the West Bank for my entire lived memory, and I am 67, aggressively expanding its borders and running an apartheid state.
October 7 clearly happened with Israeli knowledge. Its intelligence penetration of Palestinian politics is so very obviously extremely deep that it can precisely target anyone at will so let’s not pretend that somehow it did not notice this being planned. And let’s also not deny that many of the deaths were almost certainly by Israeli forces. Israel permitted an attack, I very strongly suspect. Please do not pretend otherwise. No evidence could support that idea.
And don’t for a minute accuse me of being anti-Semitic. Millions of Jews oppose what Netanyahu is doing at and can see it as the fascist and racist genocide pursued by a criminal which is what it is.
You are supporting that fascist genocide. Do you want the deaths of innocent children on your hands, which is a war crime because the Israeli government is deliberately killing them? Have you ceased to be human? Is your God the Devil? Have you sold your soul? Nothing else explains your lies in defence of your inhumanity.
Richard
No Richard, you are clearly lying.
I’d also add that you are being obvioulsy antisemitic and clearly support terrorist acts.
Israel has only ever attacked Gaza when provoked or in self defense. Including the most recent conflict. Israel completely withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and there have been numerous peace deals turned down by the Palestinians, notably Hamas. Always because Hamas demand a one state solution with no Israel and no Jews. They explicitly call for the elimination of Jews and Israel in their charter, but you implicitly support them.
The you go on to make conspiracy theory arguments, which gaslight the victims of the October 7th terrorist outrage. Such as:
“October 7 clearly happened with Israeli knowledge.”
“And let’s also not deny that many of the deaths were almost certainly by Israeli forces.”
“Israel permitted an attack, I very strongly suspect. Please do not pretend otherwise. ”
“Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have committed war crimes.”
These are simply slurs which you have no evidence for, and completely abdicate Hamas of any responsibility. This is the very definition of anti-semitism.
You also clearly support terrorist objectives and Hamas – why else would you say “I know what I would do.”
In light of this, and your obvious anti-semitsm I shall be reporting this to the relevant authorities, such as the Police and the campaign against anti-semitism, as well as highlighting it to various organizations you claim to work for or represent, such as the BBC, Sheffield University and the National newspaper.
Oh, and I’ve saved and taken copies of this page should you try to delete it.
I cannot be anti-Semitic.
First, time and again I have condemned Hamas’ terrorist attacks. I have no time for terrorism anywhere. I am a Quaker. You should not be surprised by that condemnation in that case.
But nor do I have time for those who run apartheid states, are racists, are fascist and commit genocide, and Netanyahu is doing all those things. You should not be surprised to hear a Quaker say that. And it can’t be anti-Semitic to say it, as many Jews do, too.
But more than that, you are asking me to make an exception for some Jews so they can run apartheid states, be racists, be fascist and commit genocide, as you would obviously wish. You are asking me to treat these Jews, because they are Jewish, as differemt to all others then, when I would and do condemn all who do such things (and others do, I know). In other words, you are explicitly asking me to discriminate because these people are Jews – which by defintion is anti-Semitic, which you must also very obviously be. And of course I will not do that. Why do you?
And please feel free to report me to the police. I have committed no offence of any sort. But if you want to waste their time, and that of others, feel free. In the face of and Israeli govermment imposed genocide I will not be silent.
With regard to Israel’s use of administrative detention…
You might want to do some research…
https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention/statistics (Dec 2024, it’s more now, numbers come from Israel’s prison service)
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-arbitrarily-jailing-palestinian-children-record-numbers-must-stop
Plus evidence (from Israeli sources) of rape, sexual assault, torture, and deaths while in Israeli detention, and deprived of access to legal representation.
The “crimes” of these detainees (although they do not get charged or tried) may include being a health worker or journalist.
Meanwhile, if you are a violent terrorising settler Israeli…
https://www.firstpost.com/world/israel-ends-administrative-detention-a-rule-protecting-palestinians-from-jewish-settler-violence-13837739.html
More links here, including from Israeli sources.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=fpas&q=israel+administrative+detention&ia=web
We are familiar with Hasbara. Maybe you have heard of it Claire?
You really have to wear ear muffs and a blindfold inside a soundproofed underground bunker to not know these things.
Thank you
I should add that today I had lunch with a friend from Gaza.
I watched a video made earlier this year by three Jewish people, which I found both informative and moving. It is on YouTube and the title is: ‘Gaza besieged, Jews divided, and a world in pain: Gabor, Aaron & Daniel Maté in conversation’
Short and incisive, and I agree. I wish SKS would see it.
It’s obvious – Starmer supports convicted criminal Trump and rogue state Israel and the crime of genocide. He has no interest in Palestine whatsoever, except as a persistent irritant, making his life difficult. His statements and actions are all designed to NOT interfere with the (indicted criminal) Netanyahu government’s criminal project of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
As for his MPs they are complicit in war crimes until they say AND VOTE otherwise, and they need to make that clear to Starmer and to do so publicly and by actions, not merely words.
They have power over him, he no longer has power over them. There are enough of them now (over 100) who have stuck their heads over parapet, they need to make more noise, August recess or not, and compel action using the constitutional power they have at their disposal.
Is stopping genocide important enough to disturb a summer recess? It is, after all a legal obligation imposed on us by an international court, under IHL.
History is being made at present. It’s the worst sort of history, the Western powers, including my country, committing, aiding and abetting genocide and other war crimes in full view of the world.
Lammy got his fluff piece in the Guardian Saturday magazine this week, but it won’t save him at the Hague, however carefully he chooses his tie.
We are watching the moral collapse of the UK government.
I’ve watched the demise of many UK governments, mired in sleaze or simply running out of ideas. But never before have I seen this open embracing of criminality, this moral and legal collapse- not even with Bush/Blair/Iraq – they at least clung to a figleaf of international legitimacy, even though they had to deceive and lie to get it.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UK have to decide, NOW, whether they are for genocide or justice.
Leaving Starmer aside for the moment, I can’t be the only person in the world to wonder at the tragic irony of Israel – a Jewish state thus consisting of a people who have been persecuted, starved, abused, and submitted to torture and genocide – now guilty of exactly the same actions against another minority. That’s so utterly and grotesquely sick that I wouldn’t actually believe it could happen without seeing it with my own eyes. And what’s even worse, is that it would appear that at least part – and perhaps a significant part – of the reason that this genocide is happening is to enable the leader of Israel to stay clear of a possible prison sentence. That’s one thing he has in common with Trump, of course, who no doubt would have been convicted of more felonies had there not been an election (or if the US Justice Department under Garland had not dragged its feet for a year before deciding to investigate the January 6th violence and Trump’s part in it).
How did Netanyahu so corrupt a state and so many of its people?
This morning early on R4 was a correspondent talking about the effects the war was having on Israelis – suicides of combatants, mental health problems, combat refusals, exhaustion – make no mistake Claire, the guilt blowback is out there – a lot of damage is being done to people by Zionists and hopefully might help Israel change its tune.
I read reports -the numbers vary- of Israelis leaving. Many have second passports.
Israel has a number of hi-tech firms and a lot of their workforce falls into that category.
There is little danger of the country being over run but the young people will have to reserve military duty with its risks and disruption to careers.
I suggest these will be the first to leave. There are groups of religious Israelis who don’t do military service though they are changing the law. Many of them don’t educate their children in science and maths, or even English. It will undermine the economy.
The Jews who were forced out of the Arab lands in the 1950s in retaliation for the Nakbe, have no where to go unless Trump opens the gates to immigration.
It is also likely that the state of Israel will become a pariah country and other countries will boycott. At the moment the US is willing to use sanctions to back Israel. It does no good to American interests in the long run and the pressure will increase put America first. There are indications of that already
IMHO their future is not hopeful.
The tragedy started in the C19. Zionism has always been a fascist racist doctrine from Herzl through Jabotinsky and Netanyahu their heir. As for ‘John’ and ‘Claire’ their wilful denial is part of that doctrine.
I’m afraid that should the Palestinians release all the hostages including bodies then there will no constraints on the Israelis and the Israeli violence will only become worse.
So I believe Starmer is just plain useless because he is used to towing lines. Wouldn’t dare put his head above the parapet because he is so useless to the point of wtf am I even doing here?
This man is destroying the left vote just being in this post and the integrity that should be the backbone of Labour! Personally, I’m annoyed, angry and tbh miserable of his outcome!
If the Labour party doesn’t realise this pdq then, sorry they are completely fucked!
@ John
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/08/04/starmers-choice-does-he-support-palestine-or-the-usa-he-cant-have-both/comment-page-1/#comment-1035351
“Up until that point Israel wasn’t doing anything”
2 options John.
You are either:
Unbelievably and inexcusably ill-informed – where have you been since 1967?
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/11/24/countdown-to-genocide/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/7/timeline-israels-attacks-on-gaza-since-2005
OR
You are knowingly posting Hasbara.
But Hasbara doesn’t work anymore.
Thank you
“Hasbara doesn’t work anymore.”
And Israel knows it. Caitlin Johnstone has this quote from the Times of Israel today:
“Long referred to as hasbara, a term used to denote both public relations and propaganda that has been freighted with negative baggage in recent years, the ministry now brands its approach as toda’a — which translates to ‘awareness’ or ‘consciousness’ — an apparent shift toward broader, more proactive messaging.”
As she says: “Simply stopping the genocide is not considered as an option. Simply ceasing to lie is not considered as an option. They’re just changing the word they use for their lies about their genocide.”
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/dare-to-hope
An additional piece of evidence is that the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange experienced unusual shorting in the days immediately before 7/10. Those in the know had the chance to carry out a little insider trading. Netanyahu also stood down border guards and surveillance crews, threatening some to silence them about Hamas’s perfectly visible activities, as well as moving the Nova festival closer to the border, all a month after Netanyahu showed the Greater Israel map at the UN. ‘Cynicism’ doesn’t do it justice
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/08/04/starmers-choice-does-he-support-palestine-or-the-usa-he-cant-have-both/comment-page-1/#comment-1035378
John is quoting straight out of the CAA playbook. But he’s a bit amateurish (and very poor at doing his research).
I had all that thrown at me a month ago.
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/mps-call-investigate-the-campaign-against-antisemitism/
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/statement/the-charity-commission-and-the-campaign-against-antisemitism-caa/
https://electronicintifada.net/content/revealed-israel-charity-funded-campaign-against-antisemitism/38351
I have zero tolerance for anti-Semites. I have not a shadow of a doubt I am not one. I condemn the Israeli government for doing things I would condemn any government doing. And I do not even see it as a Jewish government. I see it as the government of Israel and you do not need to be a Jew to live there.
I think Craig Murray made an important point recently:
The Starmer regime’s attitude to the law, both domestic and international, has been diseased by the doctrine of unquestioning support of Israel. This morning the Handala became the second vessel flying the Red Ensign to be illegally seized by Israel, without a single word from the UK, which has a duty to protect its vessel in international waters. Indeed British law applies upon the vessel and the Metropolitan Police should be investigating domestic law kidnap of the passengers. That is in addition to the international crime of seizing the vessel.
The publication “Middle East Eye” describes the pressure being put on Karim Khan the chief of the ICJ to drop charges against Netanyahu. Accusing him of sexual harassment, pressure by no other than former PM Cameron, its amazing to see who and why such people are willing to protect the criminal Netanyahu and his criminal government.