Board of Deputies and JLC respond to Andy Burnham’s Gaza comments
'The awful situation in Gaza cannot be understood without reference to the role of Hamas not only in launching the conflict but in perpetuating the war'
The Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council have conveyed “significant concerns” to Andy Burnham’s team over comments made by the presumptive next Prime Minister in which he spoke about the need to do more “to pressure the Israeli government” and mooted the possibility of sanctions on West Bank settlements.
In a video published yesterday, the former Mayor of Manchester, whose by-election victory in Makerfield last month returned him to the House of Commons, said that “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. We need to do better.
“Yes, we have taken some important steps. These include recognising the Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israel ministers and imposing waves of sanctions on violent settlers and the organisations 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 UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now do more to strengthen our approach.”
Burnham repeated his condemnation of the 7 October terror attack by Hamas, as well as criticising “the increase in appalling antisemitic attacks here in the UK, and those who seek to divide our communities by targeting Jewish people”, specifically citing the Heaton Park Synagogue terror attack in Manchester. However, he went on to say that “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.”
Burnham’s statement did not mention the continued operation of Hamas in Gaza, or terrorist activity in the West Bank.
In a joint statement from the Board of Deputies and JLC, the organisations said:
“We have been in touch with Andy Burnham’s team to convey directly our significant concerns in relation to his remarks yesterday.
“We welcome his zero tolerance approach to antisemitism, affirm his assertion that there is no contradiction between fighting antisemitism and disagreeing with actions of the Israeli government, and share concern for the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
“However, antisemitism cannot be confronted without addressing all its drivers. In today’s Britain, this includes Islamist, far left and far right extremists who go beyond criticism of the Israeli government to a place of hatred directed at Jews and Israelis. These voices build on distorted or one-sided portrayals of the situation in Gaza and its causes, and ceaseless attempts to single out the world’s only Jewish state.
“The crimes of Hamas did not begin or end with the horrific attack of 7 October. The awful situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of innocent Palestinians cannot be understood without reference to the role of Hamas not only in launching the conflict but in perpetuating the war through the holding of hostages, war-fighting entirely from within the civilian population, and ongoing refusal to cede power and disarm, in line with the 20-point peace plan. Nor can the situation be understood without reference to the role of Hamas’s regional backers and allies, including Iran and Hezbollah.
“As Mayor of Greater Manchester during the Heaton Park attack, Andy Burnham knows first hand the links between hatred of Israel, antisemitic extremism and deadly violence against British Jews. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss these concerns directly with Andy Burnham and his team in the near future.”
Keir Starmer is understood to intend to resign before the end of the month. On Thursday, Burnham, the only declared candidate to succeed him, received backing from 322 out 403 Labour MPs. The support of just one more Labour MP to that tally would lead to it being mathematically impossible, under the Labour party’s rules, for any other MP to mount a challenge.
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