I wrote this on Twitter yesterday in response to the International Court of Justice decision on Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian Territories:
It is not easy on occasion to hang on in quiet desperation, believing that there is a sane alternative to the madness through which we are living. Then something like this decision comes along to remind us that we are not alone in thinking that to be the case.
I heard some of this decision as it was read out.
Israel is an illegal occupying force.
It is imposing an apartheid regime.
It is acting in contravention to international law.
And then I had to remind my self that this is a non-binding decision, however persuasive it is.
Labour has to decide whether to comply.
In fairness to David Lammy as Foreign Secretary, he has decided to restart funding for UNRWA, which is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. This was established as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949. It is one of the largest United Nations programmes and works to relieve poverty in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli allegations of its involvement in the 7 October attacks were some time ago found to be without evidential support, but the Tories denied finding, nonetheless.
Now Lammy has to go further. He has to withdraw the Tory objection made by the UK, acting as the US's stooge since it is not a member of the ICJ, to oppose a warrant for war crimes issued by the International Court of Justice against Benjamin Netanyahu.
If that happens and the UK backs the ICC decision (because does it have a choice?) then we will know we are on a new path with Israel. If we do not do both then we, or rather Starmer, becomes as much a facilitator of apartheid as Thatcher ever was. It will be his choice.
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If Starmer ignores it I imagine there’ll be protests, reminding us how prescient was his decision to clear criminals from jail conveniently making room for protestors. If my reading of the situation is indeed the case, he’s obviously expecting a lot of them. What else is coming at us he thinks will cause us such concern we’ll take to the streets in protest?
Will Scammer & Co kick this particular can down the road with another task force or commission to look into the matter as they’ve done with the two-child benefit cap? How many cans is Scammer likely to have running down the road at the end of his administration in order to avoid accountability?