Andy Burnham is facing a backlash from Jewish leaders and Labour figures over his pledge to impose further sanctions on Israel and his apology for Keir Starmer’s response to the Gaza conflict. The Telegraph has the story.
The Prime Minister-in-waiting used one of his first major foreign policy interventions to apologise for Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the Gaza conflict.
In an interview with the Guardian, Burnham said Labour “didn’t get it right” under Sir Keir and should have demanded a ceasefire sooner.
On Friday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, two of the UK’s leading Jewish organisations, rebuked Burnham over his remarks.
The groups said in a statement: “We have been in touch with Andy Burnham’s team to convey directly our significant concerns in relation to his remarks yesterday.
“We welcome his zero tolerance approach to antisemitism, affirm his assertion that there is no contradiction between fighting antisemitism and disagreeing with actions of the Israeli Government, and share concern for the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
“However, antisemitism cannot be confronted without addressing all its drivers. In today’s Britain, this includes Islamist, far-Left and far-Right extremists who go beyond criticism of the Israeli Government to a place of hatred directed at Jews and Israelis.”
Burnham said Britain would impose further sanctions on individuals and entities and consider trade bans when he entered Downing Street a week on Monday.
He went on to claim that, while it was up to international courts to rule whether Israel was committing genocide, there was “increasing evidence” of war crimes.
The remarks were interpreted as an attempt to win back support from Left-wingers who had defected to the Greens or Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party after Sir Keir’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in the weeks after the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.
However, the Board and the Jewish Leadership Council warned that critics of Israel “build on distorted or one-sided portrayals” of the war in Gaza.
“The crimes of Hamas did not begin or end with the horrific attack of October 7th,” they said.
“The awful situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of innocent Palestinians cannot be understood without reference to the role of Hamas not only in launching the conflict but in perpetuating the war through the holding of hostages, war-fighting entirely from within the civilian population, and ongoing refusal to cede power and disarm, in line with the 20-point peace plan.
“Nor can the situation be understood without reference to the role of Hamas’s regional backers and allies, including Iran and Hezbollah.
The groups said that because Mr Burnham was the Greater Manchester mayor during the Heaton Park synagogue attack last October, he “knows first hand the links between hatred of Israel, anti-Semitic attacks and deadly violence against British Jews”.
They said: “We look forward to the opportunity to discuss these concerns directly with Andy Burnham and his team in the near future. In a country in which antisemitism has become more normalised, more extreme and more violent, we call on our leaders to show the utmost care in their rhetoric in relation to the conflict.”
Labour figures called Burnham’s remarks “concerning” and claimed they could sour relations between Britain and Israel when he took office.
Alex Hearn, the Co-Director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “It is concerning that the man who will be our new anointed but unelected Prime Minister should choose an international issue to make his first political declaration.
“Our public services are struggling, from healthcare to the justice system, so it is odd that Mr Burnham used a foreign issue he can’t even affect to signal his differences with the current Prime Minister.
“With attacks on British Jews often using this issue as a justification, Mr Burnham has chosen to appeal to a part of the electorate for whom he will never be able to go far enough.”
Worth reading in full.
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But…. would he free the sausages?🤔
After seeing Prince Andrew post his video of ‘I voted for myself as leader’ I can only say that I find him a smug, smarmy c*nt.
At last a man with morals on this matter.
Bot
Chumming the waters for the inevitable feeding frenzy, I see.😁
I don’t see why I should stay quiet on a matter I feel passionately about for the past 50 years just because it is unpopular on this site.
Well, I agree. You absolutely shouldn’t. Diversity of viewpoints for the win, as far as I’m concerned. Nobody can seriously call themselves proponents of free speech whilst simultaneously demonstrating intolerance for people who have opposing opinions to them on any given topic. This is why I prefer to partake in dialogue and leave comments, as opposed to being a coward and relying on downvotes. That’s for petty, lazy people who have nothing to offer in the way of a well-reasoned counter-argument. Same as ad hominem.
As I’ve said before: I’d bet the farm there’d be more engagement with people responding using the written word if there were no thumbs to rely on as a substitute. But there’s many on here who are rather over-invested in them, evidently.
Glasshalffull did not make any reasoned argument, he just claimed Burnham is a man of morals on Gaza. Some things do not need dignifying with a comment.
Unless, of course, Mr Burnham chooses to gloss over the domestic issues he also cannot affect.