UK ruling party delegates vote to recognise genocide in Gaza
Britain's Justice Secretary and deputy Prime Minister David Lammy (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the first day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, on 28 September (AFP)
Delegates from the UK’s ruling Labour Party have voted to recognise that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the Middle East Eye reported on September 29th.
The vote, which followed the UK’s formal recognition a Palestinian state, occurred at the annual party conference, which began in Liverpool on September 28th, where delegates from constituencies and affiliated organisations gathered to vote on a variety of topics.
Delegates also voted against a motion on September 29th that was understood to widely endorse Labour policy on Israel.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal stated: “This is a huge defeat for the government, with the Labour Party finally accepting that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”
“This historic vote must now become government policy: imposing comprehensive sanctions on Israel and a full arms embargo.”
Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), said: “Today the Labour movement stood on the right side of history and in solidarity with the Palestinian people, sending a clear message to the Labour leadership: we will not remain silent on the crime of genocide.”
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on September 16th that Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza; key Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been accused of orchestrating a campaign of genocide.
According to the UN, Israel’s conduct in Gaza since October 2023 has fulfilled four out of five acts under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention: killing; serious bodily or mental harm; imposing destructive living conditions; and stopping births.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously faced criticism over his handling of the war on Gaza, with a survey from the Labour Muslim Network (LMN) showing that 82% of Muslim Labour Party representatives believe Starmer has handled Israel’s war with Gaza inadequately.
A group of MPs sent a letter to Starmer on August 14th, which asked the government to “act urgently in the face of genocide in Gaza.”
The British government has also placed sanctions on two far-right Israeli politicians, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. A travel ban and asset freeze were imposed on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich due to “their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.”
A bill was also passed by the UK’s Parliament that called for an independent inquiry into Britain’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza, a key step in efforts to scrutinise British support for Israel’s military campaign.
The British government announced in September 2024 a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel; however, Israeli import data released on May 7th this year suggested that arms were still being exported despite the suspension of 30 arms export licenses.
The vote to recognise the Gaza genocide is the latest action the British government has taken in opposition to Israel; previous actions have included Israelis being banned from the UK’s largest weapons exhibition, along with plans to bar Israelis from enrolling in the Royal College of Defence Studies, a leading defence academy in the UK.
Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org
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