Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn criticizes Prime Minister Andy’s Burnham’s apology: “It’s simply not enough.”
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From London, we revisit the Gaza Tribunal, an independent, nongovernmental inquiry into the United Kingdom’s complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The tribunal, held nearly one year ago, was chaired by our three guests: former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Israeli professor of human rights law Neve Gordon and Palestinian legal scholar Shahd Hammouri. Their new book is titled The Gaza Tribunal: Britain’s Complicity in Genocide. We discuss the recent apology from Prime Minister Andy Burnham over the Labour Party’s early support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, the United Kingdom’s crackdown on the Palestine Action protest group under counterterrorism laws, and whether British policymakers will face any accountability for participating in “one of the biggest crimes in humanity.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman. We’re broadcasting from London, where tonight the documentary about Democracy Now!, Steal This Story, Please!, will be at the Curzon theater, Bloomsbury, in the Bertha DocHouse. We’ll talk more about that later.
But right now the key issue of the day, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently apologized for the Labour Party’s initial stance on Gaza. On July 20th, Burnham became prime minister, succeeding Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation in June. Burnham is Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade. He’s the former mayor of Manchester. Shortly before becoming prime minister, Burnham posted this video online.
ANDY BURNHAM: I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza, my party didn’t get it right, and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.
Yes, we have taken some important steps. These include recognizing the Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israeli ministers and imposing waves of sanctions on violent settlers and the organizations that support them. I also fully support the restrictions on arms licenses to make sure that no British bombs or bullets can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank.
But let’s be honest: The U.K. was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now do more to strengthen our approach. Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement, killing innocent Palestinians. We’re seeing a surge in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the continued expansion of illegal settlements, displacing Palestinian communities. And Netanyahu’s government is clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible.
That’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements. I, like many people, feel passionately about Gaza, and I will do everything I can to work with international partners to stop the suffering, to ensure the Israeli government adheres to international law, and to keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive, because this is the only way to lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham.
Last year, an independent Gaza Tribunal was held here in London. It featured testimony from 29 witnesses, including journalists, aid workers, doctors and international law experts. The tribunal concluded the British government was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza by authorizing military, economic and political support for Israel.
The tribunal was held amidst an escalating crackdown in Britain targeting pro-Palestinian activists. Since July of last year, British police have arrested over 3,000 people for expressing support for the group Palestine Action. Last year, the British government declared the group to be a terrorist organization, making support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
We’re joined right now by the Gaza Tribunal’s three co-chairs. Jeremy Corbyn is a member of the British Parliament who served as Labour Party leader from 2015 to 2020. He has served in the British Parliament since 1983. Neve Gordon is an Israeli …