Keir Starmer to set out policy on Israel-Gaza war amid Labour tensions

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is to set out his position on the Israel-Gaza war, amid growing tensions within the party over the conflict.

In a speech on Tuesday, Sir Keir is expected to restate his support for “a humanitarian pause” to allow aid into Gaza.

But he will argue a permanent ceasefire would leave Hamas with the capability to carry out more attacks.

A number of senior Labour figures have backed calls for a full ceasefire.

Mayors Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and a number of frontbenchers are among those who have diverged from the official party line on the issue.

More than 50 Labour MPs and 250 councillors have also called for a ceasefire, with around 30 councillors resigning from the party over the leadership’s position on the war.

Meanwhile, Andy McDonald has been suspended as a Labour MP, over what the party described as “deeply offensive” comments at a pro-Palestinian rally.

Sir Keir’s aides say his speech will allow him to lift his sights beyond the immediate conflict.

He will focus on a future Labour government’s commitment to a two-state solution – Israel and a Palestinian state existing side by side.

This position also allows him to distance himself from the right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

And it will be a reminder to Labour members that the party can only make a difference if it gets in to power.

But his speech won’t – and can’t – ignore not just the current war in the Middle East, but the conflict in his own ranks.

And he is facing considerable jeopardy. He has to walk a political tightrope – balancing support for Israel against Hamas with the need to respond to growing calls for a ceasefire.

He is expected to say he understands the desire for a ceasefire but to argue that a permanent ceasefire at this stage would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and capability to carry out more attacks similar to those of 7 October, in which more than 1,400 were killed.

Instead, Sir Keir will repeat calls for “a humanitarian pause”.

By not backing a full ceasefire, the Labour leader is aligned with the UK government, as well as the US and EU.

Compared to a formal ceasefire, humanitarian pauses tend to last for short periods of time, sometimes just a few hours.

They are typically implemented purely with the aim of providing humanitarian support, as opposed to achieving long-term political solutions, according to the United Nations.

However, Sir Keir is expected to say a humanitarian pause could also enable diplomatic progress to be made.

The Labour leader is also expected to say that Israel has a right to keep its people safe, within the guidelines of international law, as well as saying vital services in Gaza must be switched on, aid must be ramped up, Israel’s military operation must be measured and civilians not permanently displaced.

But, crucially, his tone towards pro-ceasefire voices in his own ranks will be sympathetic.

He may have little choice, as otherwise he’d have to sack 13 junior shadow ministers who come from across Labour’s political spectrum, and some of whom represent substantial Muslim communities.

On Monday Andy McDonald, a former shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn, was suspended as a Labour MP over comments he made in a speech at a pro-Palestinian rally.

The MP for Middlesbrough told protesters on Saturday: “We will not rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in peaceful liberty.”

He said his words were intended as “a heartfelt plea for an end to the killings” in the region.

But the phrase “between the river and the sea” – which refers to the land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean – is interpreted by some, including Israel and most Jewish groups, as implicitly calling for the destruction of Israel.

This interpretation is disputed by some pro-Palestinian activists who say that most people chanting it are calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, not the destruction of Israel itself.

A Labour spokesperson said Mr McDonald’s comments at the weekend “were deeply offensive, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism which has left Jewish people fearful for their safety”.

However, the suspension has outraged the left, who argue Mr McDonald’s words had been misrepresented, as well as the Labour Muslim Network.

But the bigger danger for Sir Keir is that by doubling down on rejecting calls for a ceasefire, some shadow ministers beyond the left come under pressure from members and communities and decide to resign, sparking a potential chain reaction.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Paul Bristow has been sacked from his government role as a ministerial aide, after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.