Foreign Secretary urges next PM to toughen stance on Israel’s West Bank policies
Yvette Cooper argues next PM should be 'tougher on Israel and its actions in Gaza and the West Bank'
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for the next Prime Minister to take “stronger action” against Israel in response to rising settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
In an interview with Robert Peston for ITV News, Cooper was asked about the widespread view among Labour MPs that likely new PM Andy Burnham should be “tougher on Israel and its actions in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Cooper responded: “I’m very worried about what is happening in the West Bank, where we’ve seen increases in settler violence and also the expansion of settlements in a way that looks designed to prevent any possibility of a sustainable two-state solution. Some people are even talking about the most dangerous and damaging things.
“That’s why I think we are going to have to do more on Israel-Palestine, and we are going to have to take stronger action.
“We started to do that with some stronger sanctions, particularly around the West Bank. We’re looking at what further we can do and how we can strengthen the sanctions regime.”
Asked about a recent UN commission’s claim that Israel has committed genocide against children in the region, Cooper said: “I think the impact on what’s happening to children is just horrific.”
When pressed on whether she believed genocide was being committed, Cooper replied: “As you know, there is a legal position that the UK takes—that this needs to go through a court process, and we respect that. But either way, in some ways the language doesn’t get away from the reality of what is happening to children.
“You’ve got the children who have lost their lives—there are thousands of children who have lost their lives—but also those who have just been denied schooling, denied education, and are living in the most horrendous conditions.”
She added: “One of the things we need to see in Gaza is proper, temporary housing for families who are currently living in appalling conditions. At the moment, the Israeli government is refusing to let in basic housing materials needed even to put up temporary tents and shelters, because they see it as dual use.
“That is incredibly damaging, and it is having a humanitarian impact. It’s just appalling what is happening, so we are going to have to do more collectively. This is an international challenge.”
Cooper also backed Labour leader Keir Starmer’s position over the war in Iran, saying: “Well, we didn’t provide support for the conflict in Iran, for the offensive activity by both the US and Israel—we concluded that was the wrong thing to do.”
She concluded that a UK Prime Minister must “stand up for UK national interest,” particularly in dealing with US President Donald Trump.
During the interview Cooper confirmed she backed Burnham to become the next PM, but admitted it was up to him whether he wanted to keep her in the role.
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