UK PM Says Britain Was ‘Too Fearful’ of Being Called Anti-Israel

“The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world,” Burnham wrote.

By United with Israel Staff

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday night that Britain had been too “fearful” of being accused of being anti-Israel, as he defended his government’s sweeping new measures targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

“For too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel,” Burnham wrote in a lengthy post on X following the sanctions announcement.

“Today we are announcing carefully judged, targeted steps that are not aimed at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government.”

Burnham portrayed the measures as part of a broader effort to assert British values and preserve the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.

“We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognize that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action,” he wrote.

The Labour prime minister accused Israel of responsibility for widespread Palestinian suffering in Gaza and claimed that more than 70,000 people had been killed, including at least 20,000 children. The figures cited by Burnham could not be independently verified and originate from authorities in Hamas-run Gaza, whose casualty figures do not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.

“The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world,” Burnham wrote. “I will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution… comes under attack.”

Burnham also targeted Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, claiming the current Israeli government had approved more settlements during its four years in office than in the previous two decades.

He singled out plans for construction in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, claiming the project would “snuff out the hope of realising a two-state solution.”

“That’s why we are announcing a new package of tough measures to put pressure on the Israeli government,” Burnham wrote.

The measures include a ban on trade in goods from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and sanctions against individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from settlement activity, including businesses involved in E1.

Burnham also announced a significant shift in Britain’s official legal position, saying his government would now consider Israel’s presence in territories claimed by the Palestinians to be unlawful, in line with an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband formally unveiled the measures in Parliament earlier Tuesday, accusing Israel of turning a blind eye to what he called the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians by “settler terrorists.” He also cited what he described as “increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed” in Gaza.

Britain’s initiative was accompanied by a joint statement with Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden backing or considering restrictions on trade with Israeli communities. France and Canada joined Britain in committing to national bans on settlement goods.

Burnham insisted that the measures were directed at the Israeli government rather than Israelis or Jews and condemned holding British Jews responsible for Israeli government policy.

Israel responded within hours.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Miliband of spreading “outrageous lies” and announced a series of countermeasures against Britain, including closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem, removing British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat and ending a British program that trains Palestinian Authority forces in Judea and Samaria.

Israel also barred 12 British elected representatives and other nationals accused of antisemitic or anti-Israel activity or denying Israel’s right to exist.

Sa’ar said the measures sent a clear message to governments seeking to pressure Jerusalem: “Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them.”