Recent criticism of Israel for the suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza, from Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy is pure hypocrisy, typical of the British ruling capitalist class they both represent.
Capitalist governments, including the Labour government in Britain, have been attempting to balance between their support for the imperialist interests represented by the Israeli state’s geopolitical and military position in the Middle East on the one hand, and their fear of the instability and working-class anger provoked by Israel’s barbaric onslaught on the other.
Many capitalist leaders recognise the destabilising affect that Israel’s genocidal military strategy and continuing blockade will have, both internationally and at home, and are now (vocally) adopting a more critical tone towards Israel. Lammy has said that Israel’s actions are “damaging the image of the state of Israel in the eyes of the world”. The British, French and Canadian governments have signed a joint statement calling for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter Gaza, and for the implementation of a “two-state solution” which, on a capitalist basis, would be doomed to failure.
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney are placing themselves “on the wrong side of justice”, and equates any talk of a Palestinian state with legitimising neo-nazis. He twists words and concepts, with one of his aims being to keep himself in power and out of prison for the corruption charges he faces.
There is no limit to the lies these people will tell in order to save their own skins and to defend the capitalist system, which is the underlying cause of all the wars currently being pursued or backed by capitalist governments. We can’t believe a word any of them say, especially when they make believe that their actions are guided by a moral conscience.
Starmer now says that the level of suffering in Gaza is “intolerable”, yet at the beginning of the current war he refused to condemn Israel for cutting off the water and electricity supply to Gaza. What Starmer can ‘tolerate’ depends entirely on what he thinks is in the interests of British capitalism.
Labour’s current rhetoric is also completely out of kilter with its actions. In September 2024, Labour suspended 29 arms export licences to Israel, claiming that the 200 export licences left in place did not cover goods for use by the Israeli military in Gaza. Trade data analysis now shows that, between September and December, the UK government approved licences for £127.6 million of military equipment to Israel – greater than the combined total for 2020-23 under the Tories!
What the recent change in tone does indicate is that the capitalist class is feeling the pressure of mass opinion and the anti-war movement, and is conscious of the threat that poses to the electoral prospects of their political representatives – particularly if the organised working class puts its stamp on events.
Fear of mass movements
They are also terrified of the instability that would be created in the Middle East if the Israeli regime goes ahead with its plans to wipe Palestine off the map: both in terms of the colossal exodus of Palestinian refugees into surrounding countries, and the rage of the masses across the region, which could trigger new uprisings and revolutionary waves.
The Arab Spring in 2011 toppled dictators in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, and mass protests spread across the region, including in Israel. These events revealed the staggering power of the masses and the potential for the working class to take power and transform society, but were ultimately defeated.
Future mass movements in Palestine, Israel, and across the Middle East – including the development of new workers’ parties with a programme for the socialist transformation of society – will be capable of bringing an end to the cycles of slaughter, and open up a democratic, socialist future.
Trade union action to stop the flow of arms, without loss of jobs, and an organised mass movement of protests, strikes and international solidarity, can assist the struggles in the Middle East. So too, the working class taking steps to develop its own mass party in Britain fighting for socialism and internationalism.