Last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement describing the suffering and starvation in Gaza as “unspeakable and indefensible”. His statement followed those of Foreign Secretary David Lammy in May. [1] [2]
Strong words? No! They both obscure Britain’s real policy towards Gaza specifically and Palestine generally.
If anything, we have seen ever increasing crimes against humanity that the genocidal Zionist occupation (that calls itself “Israel”) has committed over the past 22 months. It has been greatly emboldened.
BACKGROUND
- Labour has been in power since June 2024, and it has reminded people that the main political parties will always back the Zionist regime over Palestine
- By merely sharpening the tone of words used to describe the genocide in Gaza, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary — among others — are doing little to help end the crimes against humanity
- There is extreme starvation in Gaza, with Zionist and American efforts to block aid resulting in over 20,000 children being treated for acute malnutrition since April 2025
- The British people are overwhelmingly in support of Palestine, with millions attending demonstrations since October 2023 and supporting the legitimate resistance against apartheid and colonisation
- The government needs to go beyond platitudes; sanctioning settlers and cancelling a few arms licenses is akin to pain relief for symptoms as opposed to diagnosing and cutting out the disease
PM and Foreign Secretary are wet flannels
Starmer and Lammy’s words and so-called actions have been like wet flannels vaguely waved at the Netanyahu regime, rather than daggers at the heart of apartheid occupation.
By using weak words instead of substantial actions, the UK government has done the minimum possible. They focus the attention onto the current regime, rather than the whole occupation.
The intended target for the pair’s words is most probably the British public (that is increasingly bewildered that their leaders seem to do nothing to end the horrors in Gaza).
This seems pretty apparent to other politicians. Last Monday, a Conservative MP and former Minister of State for Crime and Policing at the Home Office, Kit Malthouse, warned Lammy that he could “end up in The Hague” due to his perceived “inaction” and “cowardice” regarding the UK’s complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza. [3]
So why have they done so little?
There are few reasons which come to mind, amongst many others:
Strategic purposes
The UK views Israel as one of its key strategic interests in the world.
It has been one of the strongest supporters of the Zionist occupation since the Balfour Declaration of 1917, when Britain promised a land that wasn’t theirs to a people who were European.
They, like America and Europe, view this as their satellite colony to project their interests in the Middle East. It may criticise a particular administration, but will never act to undermine the occupation itself.
Influence of the lobby
According to Declassified UK, some 180 of Britain’s 650 MPs in the last parliament accepted funding from pro-Israel lobby groups or individuals during their political career. [4]
Lammy, for example, has been associated with the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) for many years. In November 2023 he spoke alongside Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely at their annual lunch. [5]
David Mencer, a former director of LFI, was once Lammy’s campaign manager for his unsuccessful bid for the London mayoralty. He is now an official Zionist spokesman who makes excuses for the genocidal occupation. [6]
Lammy has accepted donations from pro-Israel individuals and groups, totalling £102,640 according to some sources, though Declassified UK reports £32,550 specifically from the pro-Israel lobby since 2000. [7]
Links to key UK digital infrastructure
Israel has managed to embed itself into key elements of Britain’s digital infrastructure over the past few years.
This has put Britain in a very vulnerable position — something they avoided with China but have allowed themselves to be hamstrung by with Israel.
Over 400 Israeli tech firms operate in the UK, contributing £1bn to the economy and 16,000 jobs, many in cybersecurity and digital infrastructure. [8]
In 2013, the “2030 Roadmap for UK-Israeli Bilateral Relations” was signed by then Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, the agreement committed to deepening co-operation on cybersecurity. [9]
And since 2018, the UK-Israel Tech Hub based at the British Embassy in Israel has facilitated 175 tech partnerships that integrate Israeli innovation in AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity into UK systems, including public sector applications like the NHS. [10]
There have also been allegations of overreach that claim Israeli intelligence — particularly Unit 8200 — has embedded itself in UK public sector systems (Foreign Office, Home Office, NHS, MoD) through tech firms staffed by ex-military personnel. For example, Cellebrite’s phone-hacking tools and Elbit Systems’ intelligence-sharing with UK police. [11]
Elbit, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, operates multiple UK sites and reportedly shares intelligence with UK police biweekly, raising fears of surveillance overreach. However, its role is primarily in defence and cybersecurity, not civilian infrastructure, and its activities are subject to UK scrutiny. [12]
What proper actions could be taken?
There is a lot that Britain could have done and could still do:
Suspend all arms licenses
The UK could suspend all arms export licenses to so-called Israel, including components for the F-35 fighter jets made in the US and which are used in Gaza. [13]
End intel-gathering flights
The UK could stop its reconnaissance flights launched from Cyprus that soar above Gaza — presumably gathering vital information used by the occupation. [14]
Sanction political and military leaders
The UK could sanction the political and military leadership, not just peripheral and symptomatic settler figures in the West Bank. [15]
Pause trade deals with the regime
The UK could suspend its existing trade agreements with Israel or maintain the current halt on new free trade negotiations, citing violations of international law in Gaza and the West Bank. [15]
Halt arms acquisitions from Israel
The UK could halt all arms purchases from Israel, including military equipment and technology supplied by companies like Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, or Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). [16]
Enforce ICC warrants and ICJ orders
The UK could fully support International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, enforce them under UK jurisdiction, and back International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders to increase aid and minimise civilian casualties in Gaza. [17] [18] [19]
We are not naive, but these are meant to be courts that they endorse!
Ban imports from the entity
Going further than just weaponry, the UK could prohibit the import of all goods from the Zionist entity, in particular settlements in the West Bank, which the UK deems illegal under international law. [15]
State true extent of war crimes
The UK could explicitly cite the extent of war crimes against civilians, journalists, health workers, aid workers, and more besides.
Prosecute Britons fighting in Gaza
The UK could launch investigations into and prosecutions of British nationals serving in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), using the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 and counter-terrorism legislation.
In particular, those involved in alleged war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza need to be investigated.
The previous Conservative government stated that the above legislation did not apply to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) because they’re “not currently recognised as a state by the UK”. [20]
Ban Britons from entering “Mahal” combat programme
The UK could restrict participation in Israel’s Mahal programme, which enables British citizens (men under 24, women under 21) with Jewish ancestry to volunteer for combat and support roles in the IDF for 18 months. [21]
Conclusion
It is fair to say, in summary, that the UK government has done more to target pro-Palestine activism than it has to target the genocidal occupying power.
Actions speak louder than words, and the lack of action shows exactly how empty Starmer and Lammy’s words are.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62d2gj75dro
[3] https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-david-lammy-warned-he-could-end-up-hague-over-gaza-cowardice
[4] https://www.declassifieduk.org/israel-lobby-funded-a-quarter-of-british-mps/
[5] https://www.lfi.org.uk/lammy-recalls-day-of-horror-in-address-to-lfi-annual-lunch/
[6] https://x.com/CAGEintl/status/1948074170392150234
[7] https://www.declassifieduk.org/david-lammy-friend-of-israel/
[10] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/175-partnerships-facilitated-by-uk-israel-tech-hub
[11] https://youtu.be/pDuIVcWH2-U
[12] https://www.declassifieduk.org/labour-held-secret-meeting-with-top-israeli-arms-firm/
[13] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g88rgenlvo
[14] https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-media-are-covering-up-british-spy-flights-for-israel/
[15] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sanctions-hit-west-bank-violence-network
[17] https://www.islam21c.com/politics/will-netanyahu-be-arrested-by-icc/
[19] https://www.un.org/unispal/document/icj-provisional-measures-24may24/
[20] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-01-09/8748/
[21] https://www.declassifieduk.org/revealed-over-100-britons-among-israeli-soldiers-and-settlers/
A very good opinion piece. However, is a war on Islam/Muslim lands & people, our religion, our values, which has been going on for decades now, a reason for this war being allowed to be carried out in the way it has.
The vast majority of victims are muslims, the incursions into Masjid Al Aqsa is a direct threat and violation.
Sixty thousand confirmed (mainly) muslim deaths, thousands more under the rubble, hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation. Is it that our lives have little or no value to the powers that wage & allow these wars (including Muslim rulers) or is it that we are targeted for our faith?
Is the primary cause them wanting us gone, either in person, or our deen watered down so it exists in name only, our lands in their hands directly or indirectly through dictators and trade deals that leave them in actual control over us? Is the war on Gaza the latest and most bloodied face of the war on Islam & Muslims, while everything else is secondary?