Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting insists the Labour Party is “unequivocal” in its support for Israel after a spate of terror attacks from Hamas.
The party’s conference in Liverpool this week has been overshadowed by questions on the matter, given their past willingness to wade in on the issue of Israel and Palestine.
Former leader Jeremy Corbyn has even failed to condemn Hamas, sparking further discussion over how steadfast Labour is in its commitment to Israel.
Speaking on GB News, Streeting insists Labour no longer has an issue with anti-Semitism and is unanimous in its condemnation of Hamas’s actions.
Wes Streeting has shut down suggestions Keir Starmer "pivots" on issues
GB NEWS / PA
GB News host Patrick Christys probed Streeting on the current leader, Sir Keir Starmer, and how he was “happy to sit next” to Jeremy Corbyn.
Christys asked: “Starmer sat next to him a lot. He was happy to do that while Corbyn was pontificating about Hamas and whether Israel were to blame.
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“Is that not a concern for people? He can pivot with a snap.”
Streeting offered Christys “reassurance”, saying he trusted Starmer to “speak out” on the matter.
“When I was fighting anti-Semitism, I had an ally in Keir Starmer.
“He was one of the only leading figures at the time I trusted who I could speak to. Judge Keir Starmer by his actions, when Corbyn failed to take responsibility for his failings on anti-Semitism, Keir Starmer booted him out of the parliamentary party.
Jeremy Corbyn addressed the Israel attackGB NEWS“Jeremy Corbyn will not be a candidate at the general election. Keir Starmer has expelled countless racists, cranks and crackpots from the party.
“I have been really proud to be here in Liverpool with a party conference standing with Israel in its darkest hour.”
Starmer’s commitment to Israel signals a shift from the era of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership when Palestinian flags were waved at the party conference.
Keir Starmer got a standing ovation as he condemned the “senseless” killings unleashed by Hamas “terrorists” in Israel in his speech to the Labour conference.
With war between Israel and the militants raging on for a fourth day, killing hundreds on both sides, the Labour leader was forced to tackle the developments head-on in his address in Liverpool.
He said he has been “shocked and appalled by events in Israel”, which was attacked by Hamas on Saturday, and was met with loud applause as he reiterated his support for Israel’s right to respond.
“I utterly condemn the senseless murder of men, women and children – including British citizens – in cold blood by the terrorists of Hamas,” Sir Keir said.
“This party believes in the two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.
“But this action by Hamas does nothing for Palestinians and Israel must always have the right to defend her people.
“And conference, these events, the war in Ukraine, they show precisely the test of our era. The world is becoming a more volatile place.”