Initially, the Labour Party did not support an immediate ceasefire, again echoing the line of “Israel’s right to defend itself”. In February, they called for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’, after previously calling for humanitarian pauses in December and a ‘sustainable ceasefire’ in late December/early January.
On 11 October 2023, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said in an LBC interview that Israel “has the right” to withhold power and water from Gaza as part of Israel’s “right to defend herself”. He later clarified these comments and said that although Israel had a ‘right to self defence’, he did not mean that it should withhold humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Labour Party also calls for unimpeded aid into Gaza and call for the restoration of UK funding to UNRWA, as well as an international investigation into the deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
The Labour Party calls for Israel to immediately comply with the binding orders of the ICJ and supports the independence of the ICC and recognition of the jurisdiction of all conducts of all parties in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, on the ICC, Starmer did state that comparisons between Hamas and Israeli leaders by the ICC Prosecutor are unhelpful.
The Labour Party also calls for the UK government to unequivocally commit to complying with international law in this conflict, including strictly applying the licensing criteria governing arms exports, but have fallen short of calling for an immediate arms embargo.
The Labour Party recognise that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.
The Labour Party are in opposition to the Boycott Bill.
The Labour Party supports a diplomatic process with international partners to deliver a pathway to the sustainable peace of a two state solution. They also said that they will recognise a Palestinian state ‘at the right time in a peace process’.