COUNCILLORS and officials who quit the Labour party over comments made by Keir Starmer on the Israel-Hamas conflict have accused him of “gaslighting” in a scathing direct letter.
The group – which includes 10 councillors and one ex-Young Labour BME [black and minority ethnic] rep – said they were forced to resign from the party following their leader’s “horrific and dehumanising rhetoric” in “accepting Israel’s right to carry out collective punishment”.
The letter published by LabourList accuses Starmer of “doubl[ing] down and gaslight[ing] us and all those who heard you say what you now deny about collective punishment in Gaza”.
The signatories also accuse the UK Labour leader of framing his comments as “only a concern for Muslims” which they argue was “divisive and an attempt to minimise the global call from people for a ceasefire, the end of the Israeli occupation and the creation of a safe, secure homeland for the Palestinian people”.
They called on Starmer to “openly demand Israel immediately stops its military bombardment of Gaza”, call for an “immediate” ceasefire across the Gaza Strip and call for a “fully independent investigation” into the blast at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
The letter continued: “Not every Labour councillor, elected official or members who resigned are Muslims – we are a growing number of people of all backgrounds who proudly stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand you as leader of the Labour Party speak and act in accordance with international law.”
Labour national executive committee member and We Believe in Israel director Luke Akehurst argued criticism was overblown and warned the authors’ call for a ceasefire risked Hamas building up for further future attacks.
Starmer was forced to clarify remarks he made about Israel’s decision to limit supplies to Gaza this week.
On LBC radio he appeared to suggest Israel has the right to cut off power and water to Gaza. Asked if that was appropriate, he said: “I think that Israel does have that right.”
Later, Starmer then sought to clarify his position saying: “I made clear it is not and never has been my view that Israel had the right to cut off water, food, fuel or medicines. International law must be followed.”
On Monday, he was criticised for an “embarrassing photo-op” after he visited a mosque in south Wales on Sunday.
The full letter states:
Dear Keir Starmer,
We are a group of former Labour Councillors and elected officials who were forced to resign from the Party in protest at your horrific and dehumanising rhetoric, repeated by members of the front bench, accepting Israel’s right to carry out collective punishment by withholding water, electricity, food and fuel in the besieged Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million trapped civilians. Collective punishment contravenes international law.
This week we witnessed you double down and gaslight us and all those who heard you say what you now deny about collective punishment in Gaza.
Furthermore in your ‘clarifying’ interview with the media you said “some Muslims” had taken an issue with your rhetoric. Ending the occupation of Palestine, ensuring Palestinians human-rights are upheld and that a free Palestinian state becomes a reality is not a Muslim issue, it’s a human-rights and humanitarian issue that unites hundreds and thousands of working class people of all backgrounds, faith and no faith, trade unionists and people of conscience.
Your framing of this being only a concern for Muslims is divisive and an attempt to minimise the global call from people for a ceasefire, the end of the Israeli occupation and the creation of a safe, secure homeland for the Palestinian people in accordance within international law.
Not every Labour councillor, elected official or members who resigned are Muslims – we are a growing number of people of all backgrounds who proudly stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand you as leader of the Labour Party speak and act in accordance with international law.
We note that you still haven’t withdrawn your words and apologised for what you have said, along with members of the front bench who repeated the same line. You will be aware that lawyers have suggested that individual politicians could be legally liable for aiding and abetting war crimes on the basis of their unequivocal support for Israel.
We call on you as Leader of the Labour Party to:
- Openly demand Israel immediately stops its military bombardment of Gaza, ending massive, disproportionate and lethal military force against a civilian population, contravening international law.
- Call for an immediate ceasefire across the Gaza Strip.
- Call on Israel to allow the International Criminal Court and UN Human Rights Council access to Gaza to carry out a fully independent investigation into the attack on the al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, reportedly killing more than 500 Palestinian men, women and children.
- Call for the deployment of UN peacekeepers at all borders to ensure safety for those living under Israeli occupation and in fear.
- Call for an independent investigation into reports white phosphorus was used against civilians in Gaza by the Israeli military.
- Call for a ban on any further arms sales to Israel by the UK Government, in light of investigations into war crimes
- Call on Israel, the Palestinian authority, and all international governments to work towards creating a Palestinian state that can exist alongside Israel free from occupation.
Internal to the Labour Party, we call on you to:
- Immediately lift all restrictions placed on CLPs gagging them from raising motions, debating and discussing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Palestine, and preventing them from openly standing in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis.
- Lift the ban on Labour MPs, Councilors and others from attending protests in solidarity with Palestine.
- [Ensure] the Labour Party create safety for all members and especially Jewish and Muslim members in the Party’s structures.
