Sir Keir Starmer has disgraced himself yet again, choosing now of all times to be the first British prime minister to attend a Labour Friends of Israel event in 17 years.
Let the history books show that while Israel was committing genocide, the prime minister of the UK not only stood up in parliament and lied that a genocide was not taking place, he hung out with the supporters of the genocide, and declared his undying love for the country committing the genocide.
I’m old enough to remember when Jeremy Corbyn was guilty of the alleged sins of anyone he had ever stood in a room with. Well, let’s take a look at who Starmer was having dinner with because I think we can make a stronger case here.
Among the attendees were Tzipi Hotoveli, the fascist Israeli ambassador to the UK who has spent 14 months doing pro-genocide propaganda. Hotoveli is so racist, she calls Palestinians “thieves of history” and has called for the destruction of Gaza. She used the event to call for tougher action against Iran, presumably because it has the audacity to oppose Israel’s genocide.
Another attendee was Jake Wallis Simmons, the Islamophobic editor of the Jewish Chronicle which has published one libellous story after another, and lost court case after court case for smearing people as anti-Semites. The JC was even caught publishing fake stories based on fake documents, which were written by an apparently fake journalist linked to Israeli intelligence. Wallis Simmons went on BBC Question Time and repeated the lie of the beheaded babies. He even suggested the rape of children took place on October 7th. I’m unaware of him ever setting the record straight.
It’s fair to say Wallis Simmons and Hotoveli were typical of the attendees at the LFI event, meaning this is the type of people Starmer chose to associate with. Remember, Starmer is a man who punishes Labour MPs for being pictured alongside striking workers. The leader of the Labour Party thinks trade unions are beyond the pale, but genocide supporters are just fine.
Starmer was not just an attendee at the LFI dinner, he was the key speaker and took to the stage to say: “There is no ceasefire worthy of the name, which does not, as item number one, include the return of all the hostages.”
The prime minister told the crowd his number one priority was not bringing an end to the genocide, not ensuring that two million Palestinians have food, water and shelter this winter, not rebuilding a destroyed country, but freeing hostages that the Israeli government clearly has no interest in saving.
I’ve got no problem with wanting any hostages to be freed, of course. I would love to see them all freed, but I’m guessing Starmer is being about as sincere as Netanyahu here. When he talks about freeing the hostages, he’s not doing so to bring an end to the genocide, but to justify and prolong it.
Starmer had the audacity to claim he was pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, saying: “Our allies will be all those – Israeli or Palestinian – who seek to further the cause of reconciliation, peace and progress.” That doesn’t exactly work while you’re supplying arms to the people who are wanted by the International Criminal Court, does it?
Starmer offered empty words about a two-state solution, but unless he’s calling out Netanyahu’s government for its explicit strategy to derail a two-state solution, his words are meaningless.
It’s particularly telling that Starmer chose to emphasise there is no ceasefire without a hostage deal. Ask yourself why is he doing Israeli propaganda here? Why is he suggesting it’s fine to continue genocide until hostages are released? Why is he not mentioning the Palestinian hostages? If you’re serious about peace, you don’t start by telling people the reasons you’re unwilling to accept peace. You place your emphasis on diplomacy. It goes without saying that all hostages would be released in a ceasefire.
I dream of the day the prime minister is standing in the dock at the Hague and the prosecuting lawyer says: “So let me get this straight, instead of complying with the ICJ’s instructions to prevent genocide, you denied genocide was taking place, continued sending arms to Israel, and attended an event where you declared your undying support for Israel?”
Obviously, I don’t think the war criminal will ever stand trial in the Hague, but if he did, it would be one of the easiest prosecutions ever. International law is clear that leaders have an obligation to not just stop material support for genocide, but to stop expressions of support from anyone in their country, including themselves! Police are supposed to arrest the people who support genocide, but Starmer clearly has the same immunity from prosecution as Hunter Biden.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
Re: Prime Minister joins Labour Friends of Israel event while Israel commits genocide
on December 3, 2024, 5:06 pm