Jewish members of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party claimed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was worsening antisemitism by threatening an arms embargo on Israel, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.
One member said that Starmer’s position on Israel was causing “domestic fallout” for British Jewry and claimed he “failed to acknowledge” the normalization of antisemitism in the UK.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, antisemitism in the UK and globally has increased dramatically - with some figures showing a 1350% increase in Britain alone.
Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS) wrote to Starmer to address their concerns on how the government was approaching issues in the Middle East.
“Disappointingly, during the recent campaign election candidates from several parties – including yours – sought to exploit existing racial and religious divisions and ran campaigns centred on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a foreign conflict thousands of miles away,” the letter wrote. “Indeed, some candidates implored voters to ‘vote for Gaza’, a state ruled by a totalitarian terrorist regime offering no free elections.”
LAAS called on Starmer to take action against against “divisive sectarianism now blighting Britain.”
“Instead of public outreach to show you understand and empathise with our experiences since Oct 7, your actions have exacerbated the situation,” LAAS accused. “Knowing that Israel serves as a cipher for a loud and increasingly confident section of people to attack Jews, you have chosen to appease instead of confronting bullies.”
Which policies and actions have worsened antisemitism?
The letter cited specific policies and actions it felt were exasperating antisemitism - including the government dropping its objections to the ICC case, returning funding to UNRWA amid concerns over its terrorism ties and plans to formally recognize Palestinian statehood.
“Objections to the ICC case were dropped, funding to UNRWA was resumed (effectively aiding Hamas atrocities) and now you propose an arms embargo while Hezbollah is deliberately killing Israeli children. You have also said that the British Government will formally recognise a Palestinian state, seemingly without putting any conditions in place to ensure its democracy or to safeguard its neighbour,” LAAS listed.
“This sends a message internationally that the brutal terrorism of Hamas should be rewarded, and domestically that the nasty bullying of MPs (including those in your party) by hate groups is effective.
“Perhaps you calculate that the benefits outweigh the domestic fallout Jews would face and the damage this does to the UK’s relationships with close allies? You recently met with Israeli president [Isaac] Herzog and reportedly reiterated the British Government’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence, but your actions do not match these promises and come across as empty rhetoric.”
The letter concluded by reiterating that Starmer was now responsible for antisemitism in the UK in light of his position as PM.
The letter added, “It cannot be treated as an exercise in electoral calculation and must be addressed, head on, with actions, before severe and long-lasting societal damage is inflicted on the fabric of our nation.”
Starmer declined the Telegraph’s request for comment.