It is the law of the pendulum. The previous Labor leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was a friend of the PLO leaders, openly pro-Palestinian, and was accused of anti-Semitism, a not insignificant factor in Boris Johnson's absolute majority in 2019. But the current one, Keir Starmer, has passed the brakes in the opinion of numerous deputies, militants and followers of the party, declaring that “Israel has the right to defend itself,” and that it cannot be blamed for cutting off gas, water and the entry of food to Gaza.
Starmer has regained the influential Jewish vote in Great Britain, but risks losing that of the very large Muslim community, much more Labor than Conservative. Not only that, but he faces the possibility of internal rebellion and the danger of up to four “ministers” in his opposition cabinet resigning. The head of Downing Street, Rishi Sunak, staunch defender of Netanyahu and an invasion of Gaza “to exterminate Hamas”, rubs his hands. Twenty points behind in the polls, it is the type of crisis that he relies on for an eventual comeback.
Starmer, who has made prudence (to the point of boredom) his main virtue, has not properly assessed the reaction of Labor's Muslims to the bombings and foreseeable invasion of Gaza. Fifteen Labor deputies of that religious affiliation (and many others who represent constituencies with a large population of Pakistani origin), along with two and a half hundred municipal councilors, have publicly asked him to rectify and qualify his support for "Israel's right to defend itself." ", so that it does not mean causing the death of thousands of Gazan civilians because they are considered accomplices of Hamas, or inevitable collateral damage. At the same time, they ask the leader of Labor (and probable future prime minister of the United Kingdom) to, along the lines of the United Nations, campaign for a ceasefire that allows the entry of humanitarian aid.
It all started when in a radio interview Starmer endorsed the gas and water cuts to Gaza as part of Israel's legitimate response to the atrocities committed by Hamas. In light of the uproar, he tried to soften his position and advocate “a halt to hostilities” to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, but his position seems equivocal and does not satisfy anyone right now. A visit to a mosque and his meeting with Muslim community leaders has not responded to the demands of his interlocutors, and he has turned against them.
Yasmin Qureshi, head of equalities in Starmer's team, challenged and criticized her own leader in the last Commons parliamentary scrutiny session, creating an image of disunity, much to the satisfaction of the Tories. But his punishment could trigger a wave of resignations, and up to four members of the “shadow government” have made their displeasure known.
Starmer's current position is that “the situation in the Middle East is evolving minute by minute”, and Labour's attitude will depend on the changes that occur in the coming days and will try to reflect a consensus. But the country's Muslims (almost four million people and a very important electoral bloc) feel betrayed by the lack of demand for a ceasefire, of which the party's leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, has declared himself a supporter. , who has suggested that Israel's actions go against international law. The Central Office denies that there is a schism.
“The entry of aid to Gaza is currently insufficient and must be constant, rapid and safe – is Starmer's latest position. "In the long term, the only solution is to resume dialogue for a viable Palestinian state, together with a State of Israel that does not fear for its security." Around 350,000 people demonstrated in London a few days ago to demand a ceasefire, but right-wing media have branded them – just as they did with those who opposed the Iraq war – as students, trade unionists, radical Muslims, traitors and anti-system that provide cover for terrorism and whose true objective is to attack Israel, the United States and free enterprise.
