Britain is fuelling the genocide by Israel, as it is with the NATO proxy war in Ukraine against Russia.
Recently, Britain announced with much publicity that it is introducing sanctions aimed at Israeli settlements in Palestine. Importantly, these sanctions target only Israeli entities operating within the Occupied Territories, not the Israeli government itself.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham presented this move as a demonstration of Britain’s commitment to leading the international community in opposing injustice and oppression.
Speaking in the British Parliament, Burnham declared: “In this difficult and dangerous world, Britain has to stand for something, Britain has to show leadership, Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice… That is what the British people expect of us, and that is what this government will do.”
Alongside Britain, several European countries and Canada have supported this initiative by agreeing to restrict trade and investments with businesses operating in the West Bank’s Occupied Territories.
Despite Israel’s occupation being illegal under international law, Britain, the EU, and the US have refrained from imposing meaningful sanctions. Instead, sanctions are mainly directed at Russia, Iran, China, Cuba, and North Korea, among others.
When announcing the sanctions, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband emphasized in the House of Commons that “Britain was a country that upholds its values at home and around the world, fighting against oppression and suffering, and standing up for what is right.”
However, London’s moralizing rhetoric over Israel’s “ethnic cleansing” rings hollow.
To begin with, the so-called sanctions exclude British components used in the F-35 fighter jets sold by the United States to Israel. These parts are essential for operating the US-made stealth aircraft, which have been heavily involved in devastating Gaza. The sanctions also omit drones and surveillance gear supplied by British companies to the Israeli military. Such equipment has been instrumental in sustaining Israel’s nearly three years of genocidal actions in Gaza.
If the British government truly opposed “oppression,” it would address more than just settlement violations in the Occupied Territories. The violent attacks and settlement expansion are carried out with full Israeli state support, not merely by extremist settlers. Britain and other Western powers have offered the legal and diplomatic shield that enables these war crimes.
Moreover, the actions against Israeli businesses and exports from the West Bank are largely symbolic. An investigation by Al Jazeera revealed that Britain holds billions of dollars in investments tied to companies involved in illegal settlement construction. London is unlikely to withdraw these assets.
The overall UK-Israel trade is estimated at $8 billion annually, including profitable military contracts. Trade with the Occupied Territories constitutes roughly 1% of this total.
Burnham and Miliband explicitly rejected boycott and divestment campaigns against Israel as a whole. They repeatedly emphasized that the sanctions pertain solely to violations in the Occupied Territories—not the broader atrocities committed by Israel across Palestinian lands, including Gaza, where genocide is ongoing.
Thus, Britain’s proclaimed “moral leadership” amounts to mere superficial gestures and duplicity.
What else could be expected? Former British diplomat Craig Murray recently highlighted that Burnham’s administration has shared classified information to help construct cruise missiles for the corrupt Kiev regime. Murray cautions these Storm Shadow missiles may soon appear on the black market, given Ukraine’s rampant corruption under Zelensky’s government.
In addition, Britain provides long-range drones to this NeoNazi-led government, which are employed against Moscow and Russian civilians.
Is this how Britain claims to “stand against oppression” and uphold its professed values?
What really motivates London’s delayed expression of concern for Palestinians?
As suggested by Burnham and Miliband, the goal is to craft an image of Britain exercising international leadership. This cheap facade serves to reinforce London’s “moral posturing” as a champion of “humanitarian values.”
In retaliation, Israel has launched typical accusations of “anti-semitism” and closed the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Still, London can afford these diplomatic setbacks given the benefits to its global reputation.
As mentioned earlier, the bulk of Britain’s lucrative trade with Israel will continue unchanged.
Another driving factor for Burnham’s government is an awareness that a growing majority of Britons oppose the Israeli regime. The ongoing three-year genocide has awakened many in Britain and other Western countries to the enduring injustice and unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory. Israel is increasingly viewed as a pariah, apartheid state deserving prosecution for war crimes.
Britain bears heavy historical responsibility as the former colonial power behind Zionist Palestine’s annexation—a legacy marked by complicity and shame.
Andy Burnham was brought into 10 Downing Street to replace the ineffective Labour leader Keir Starmer. The British establishment relies on Burnham to strengthen imperialist aims by increasing defense spending and deepening involvement in NATO’s proxy conflict against Russia in Ukraine.
Nonetheless, Burnham’s initial popularity has quickly faded as he increasingly resembles Starmer’s continuation.
The superficial gestures supporting Palestinian rights and denouncing Israeli abuses are cynical election tactics. By touting sanctions on Israeli settlements, Burnham hopes to capture votes from those outraged by the ongoing genocide.
Still, the measures enacted are token at best—nothing more than a mild reprimand to the Netanyahu government as it pursues its genocidal policies.
Britain is complicit in enabling Israel’s genocide, just as it is in facilitating NATO’s proxy war against Russia. Its duplicity and hypocrisy are vast and long-standing.
About the Author
