The UK’s Jewish community members have expressed concerns to The Media Line over Labour Party officials’ statements about Israel’s war in Gaza ahead of the July 4 British election, which polls suggest it will win.
Some of the community’s strongest criticism has been aimed at David Lammy, who heads foreign affairs for the Labour Party and stated that his party recognizes the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC). His comments came after the ICC prosecutor requested arrest warrants for both Hamas and Israeli leaders.
Steve Winston, managing director for the National Jewish Assembly, told The Media Line that many in the Jewish community were “disappointed” by Lammy’s comments. “Labour stands a real chance of getting into government, and such statements, such responses, are extremely worrying, not only to the Jewish community but also to its many supporters here in the UK,” he said.
Winston added that he would have wanted Labour to condemn the ICC prosecutor’s request and was concerned whether the party would recognize a Palestinian state soon after winning the election.
In Parliament, Lammy was reported to have said that the UK should suspend sending weapons to Israel that could be used in a “full-scale Rafah offensive” and that the ICC prosecutor’s request was an “independent matter” for the court.
“Labour believes that the independence of the International Criminal Court must be upheld and respected and that it is right that the conduct of all parties is addressed by the court,” Lammy reportedly said.
Another point of contention was an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on a Rafah offensive. The UN body ruled that Israel should stop an offensive that could lead to Palestinians’ “physical destruction in whole or in part in Gaza.” In response, Lammy said his party was against an Israeli offensive in Rafah and that it must comply with the ICJ.
On Thursday, Conservative MP Mark Logan moved to the Labour Party after making critical comments about his party’s approach to the war in Gaza, stating that his constituents have seen, through the ICC, evidence of starvation being used as an act of war.
According to Jonathan Romain, a social campaigner and rabbi at Maidenhead Synagogue near London, the Labour Party’s response had been measured before Lammy’s comment on the ICC.
“It seemed both politically naive and morally dubious,” Romain told The Media Line, referring to the ICC prosecutor’s decision to put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas in the same category even though Netanyahu is a democratically elected leader.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Suank was more critical of the ICC prosecutor’s request, saying it was conflating and equivocating. “There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defense and the terrorist group, Hamas,” he said.
Romain stated that Labour Party officials have not been clear on what policies they would implement if they win the upcoming election, so it is difficult to know how relations with Israel would be impacted.
“Labour has been deliberately bland about all its policies,” he said. “It’s very hard to know how this will translate relations with the Middle East if elected… there’s a big question mark.”
Internal differences over Gaza war
The Labour Party has struggled with internal differences over positions on the war in Gaza and Israel. Last week, Labour leader Keir Starmer said he would want to recognize a Palestinian state during a peace process alongside a secure Israel.
Romain said that while many in the Jewish community support a two-state solution, it would be incredibly difficult to implement one in the current climate, given the mistrust and hatred on both sides.
He added that he is in favor of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and criticized the ICJ ruling for being one-sided. “It was astonishing that it didn’t call for Hamas to release the hostages,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vivien Lichtenstein, a Parliamentary candidate for the Green Party who leads a group of Jewish party members, told The Media Line that the UK government should respect the ICJ ruling.
“I think we should respect international law, and that's the bottom line. If we are promoting international law, then it should be respected,” she said, adding that if Labour were to win in July, she would want the new government to demand an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Lichtenstein said that she did not believe the ICC prosecutor’s warrant requests were equating Israel with Hamas. “Of course, the two sides shouldn’t be equated,” she said. “But they both need to be investigated.”