I’d just finished writing this article and was about to hit publish when the UK government announced it will not challenge the ICC’s application for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his accomplices, prompting a rewrite.
The Labour government had previously said it was “taking a look” at the UK’s legal challenge to the looming arrest warrants. Thankfully, Labour has now dropped the utterly perverse legal challenge, which it would have probably lost, looking terrible in the process.
I’m unclear if the US and Germany are going ahead with their legal challenges, but John Kirby is still insisting Netanyahu is not a war criminal. Sorry, John, I’m afraid that’s not your call, dipshit.
The UK government is looking at restricting arms sales to Israel, but not stopping them completely. Also, it has restored funding to Unrwa, which presumably means Netanyahu considers Labour to be supporting Hamas. He is still calling Unrwa Hamas, right?
Now I don’t believe for one second that Labour is acting on principle, but the apparent change of stance is still welcome. A man stands accused of the worst crimes of the 21st century, and until now, the government has done everything it can to prevent him from standing trial.
The government was going to argue the world’s highest court does not have the right to order the arrest of Israeli nationals. In other words, it was going to argue Israelis are above the law! If you believe someone is innocent of serious crimes, the correct response is to call for due process. Netanyahu should welcome the opportunity to clear his name, but he’s far too much of a coward to face justice.
Of course, the UK government has always had zero doubt about Netanyahu’s guilt, so instead of defending him from the allegations, it tried to stop anyone from trying to arrest him. Whoever made this decision is no different from a getaway driver who also happens to be the arms supplier.
Now you might say it’s unfair to attack the new government, given it’s dropping a dreadful Tory decision, but until now, Labour has been on the same page as the Tories. In fact, it has been even more pro-Israel.
Starmer has taken a stance on Gaza which has included: declaring Israel has the right to starve civilians; expelling Labour members who highlighted the internationally-recognised position that Israel is an apartheid state; suspending Labour MP Andy McDonald because he made a speech calling for peace in the Middle East; suspending Labour MP Kate Osamor for describing Israel’s actions as “genocide”; and suspending multiple parliamentary candidates who were critical of Israel.
Starmer indicated he was dropping the legal challenge to the ICC arrest warrant when he became prime minister, only to change his mind, probably due to pressure from the US or Israeli lobby, and then change his mind again!
The government is now reiterating the importance of maintaining the independence of the International Criminal Court. Isn’t it interesting how opinions can shift so quickly on these things, depending on a single sentence from the government. Last week, many accepted that political interference in the court was fine and it was perfectly sensible to accuse the world’s senior judges of anti-Semitism. In an eye blink, the correct position is now being respected, in the UK at least.
Now before you get too excited, it’s worth pointing out the government says it’s still in lockstep with the US, rejecting a New York Times article that suggested a split. The government is also reiterating Israel’s right to self-defence “in line with international humanitarian law”. Interestingly, the government never says Palestine has a right to self-defence in line with international humanitarian law. Imagine Starmer saying that on October 7th.
To use such language about Israel while ICC arrest warrants loom is grotesquely tone deaf. Supporting Israel in this context is no better than supporting Hamas. If you compare body counts, circumstances and motivations, it’s actually much, much worse.
The language is enough to show you the British government has no sense of morality. Sir Keir Starmer is simply a weathervane following the winds of self-preservation. He is so shameless, he will support genocide when it’s beneficial and ease off when public opinion turns against him, or legal action looms, or his bosses give him permission.
In this case, we have Biden’s likely replacement Kamala Harris taking a slightly tougher line on the Netanyahu regime. Harris is now expressing “deep concern over the death toll in Gaza” and saying “I will not be silent”. However, she is hardly a pro-Palestinian hero and has been more than happy to cosy up to AIPAC. At one event in 2017, she even compared the establishment of the state of Israel to the civil rights movement!
Harris has probably made the calculation a change of language is her only chance of victory in November. She is not going to out-Zionist Trump, meaning alienating her pro-Palestinian base would be suicide.
Pretending she cares about Palestinians and demanding a peace agreement is Kamala’s only chance of victory (assuming she will be the Democrats’ candidate). This is a political calculation, rather than a moral one, and you can say the same about Starmer. The UK prime minister is such a political lightweight, he doesn’t have his own foreign policy. He just copies and pastes whatever the US is doing, providing the lobbyists allow him to.
The Israeli lobby is splitting into pro- and anti-Netanyahu factions, giving Starmer the space to seem tougher on Israel without being portrayed as an anti-Semite.
I would be surprised if focus group data wasn’t telling both Starmer and Harris to push for peace in Gaza. My guess is that a peace deal will be agreed before November and these cynical careerists will claim the credit, pretending they had a masterplan all along. They will hold this up as proof their methods work, and if the anti-war types only kept their mouths shut next time, it would make peace a whole lot easier. However, the very opposite is true. The only reason peace is inching closer is because we are speaking out and they hate us for it.The last working-class hero in England.
Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
Posted by RaskolnikovX on July 26, 2024, 6:06 pm, in reply to "BoD not pleased."
It's about time they got slammed back in the box. Constantly defending the indefensible as long as it suits the apartheid state. Disgusting organisation that has been exposed as a sham a long time ago....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Re: BoD not pleased.
Posted by RaskolnikovX on July 26, 2024, 6:29 pm, in reply to "Re: BoD not pleased."
They are getting pelters on X at the moment. More, still small but definitely real, evidence that the tide is turning somewhat....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
A little tangential but good interview with former special rapporteur for Palestinian human rights, Michael Lynk, about this week’s ICJ court ruling that the occupation and its structures are illegal and must completely end as soon as possible. In EI podcast. Starts at about 43:00.
on July 26, 2024, 2:30 pm