Miliband: I’m proud of Israel stance but boycotts are not the way forward
Ed Miliband spoke out against boycotts of Israel during an address to Labour Friends of Palestine in which he also spoke of his pride at supporting the recent parliamentary motion on recognising Palestine.
The Labour leader was the guest speaker at last night’s dinner in Westminster, which saw around 100 Israel supporters protesting outside. They drew attention to an article on Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East’s website promoting a boycott.
Inside, Miliband said negotiations rather than boycotts are the best way forward. He condemned Hamas rocket attacks but said his party spoke out against the ground operation this summer because it feared it would perpetuate the cycle of violence and condemned Hamas’s rocket attacks.
While some within his own party had claimed the party’s support for the backbench House of commons motion to recognise a Palestinian state represented a change in party policy, Miliband insisted Labour backed it because it had always supported the principle of recognising Palestinian statehood. He said: “I was proud to support the motion to recognize Palestine” and described recognition as “right, just, fair and in line with the values” of the party.
He told his audience that obstacles to peace included settlement building and Hamas, but reaffirmed his commitment to a two state solution, with Israel the homeland for the Jewish people, and Palestine as the homeland for Palestinian people, with each state enjoying self determination and mutual recognition.
Miliband described last week’s attack on worshippers in Har Nof synagogue as “outrageous”.
–
Win a dream five-star holiday for two in Israel, worth £2,000!
READ MORE:
- Hague: ‘Britain and Israel speak as one on Iran threat’
- Cameron stands by Israel in wake of Jewish State Bill criticism
- Lipman: Miliband pandering to anti-Semitism masking as anti-Zionism
- Protesters gather outside Friends Of Palestine dinner for Miliband speech
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
