UK main opposition leader under fire after refusing to call for cease-fire in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The British main opposition Labour Party leader defended his stance on not calling for a cease-fire amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, inviting further backlash against his party's leadership.

Keir Starmer once again met criticism after he refused to call for a cease-fire in Gaza in his speech on Tuesday at Chatham House in London where a group of people held a protest outside the venue to criticize his stance.

"While I understand calls for a ceasefire at this stage, I do not believe that it is the correct position now," he said, adding that "Hamas would be emboldened" and would "start preparing for future violence immediately."

In response to a question about whether he thinks Israel is acting within international law, he said: "I think it is unwise for politicians to stand on stages like this or to sit in television studios and pronounce, day by day, which acts may or may not be in accordance with international law. I think it’s not the role of politicians."

Criticizing the remarks by the Labour Party leaders, social media users shared video clips of his previous remarks about Russian attacks on Ukraine.

In an interview in March 2022, when asked "Is (Russian President) Vladimir Putin a war criminal," he replied: "Yes. What I’ve seen already amounts to war crimes, particularly the awful attacks on civilians and I think it’s very important that he’s held to account."

Rather, Starmer opined, his party's current position of calling for humanitarian "pauses" was "the only credible approach."

After his speech, Starmer faced an angry reaction from the protesters who shouted "You can't hide," "Murderer," and "Cease-fire now."

Some protesters tried to reach out his car while Starmer was bundled into the waiting car by police officers.

Following his speech, Scottish leader Humza Yousaf criticized him, saying: "Starmer's stance lacks moral courage & leadership."

"A humanitarian pause will only temporarily stop the killing of children, over 3,000 have already reportedly been killed in Gaza. We need a ceasefire now. Otherwise, we are accepting thousands more civilians will be killed," he said on X.

- 'Starmer not showing clear, principled leadership'

Meanwhile, Amnesty International UK also reacted to the Labour leader, saying: "In failing to call for an immediate ceasefire, Keir Starmer is not showing the clear and principled leadership that this decades-old crisis needs."

"Instead of tracking so closely to UK and US government calls for a vague and unclear ‘pause’, Mr Starmer should be supporting the United Nations and expert aid organisations on the ground in Gaza who say an immediate ceasefire is a matter of life and death for millions," it added in a statement.

His remarks also sparked controversy on social media where some users shared video clips of his comments on Russian attacks on Ukraine and Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Last week, more than 300 Muslim councilors from the UK's main opposition Labour Party called on their party leadership to call for an immediate cease-fire.

The Labour Party has also seen a series of resignations from councilors after Starmer said in controversial remarks that Israel had the "right" to cut power and water supplies to Palestinians living in Gaza. The remarks sparked controversy within the party.

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise offensive against Israel on Oct. 7.

The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,525, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.

More than 1,538 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.