Burnham re-appoints former Israeli Supreme Court clerk as justice minister

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https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/

Back in March, the Labour government’s bill to restrict access to jury trials – a right enjoyed by English citizens for over 800 years – successfully passed its first reading. But last week, only hours after former Justice Minister David Lammy was dropped from Andy Burnham’s new cabinet, a Downing Street spokesperson announced that the newly coronated Prime Minister had no intention of following through with the plan.

Eyebrows were raised, however, at the ministerial re-appointment of Sarah Sackman, Keir Starmer’s ex-solicitor general and a key supporter of Lammy’s jury proposals. Sackman has previously worked as a foreign law clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court, and her grandfather once served as an ambassador for the settler state. Last week, Burnham extended her role in government with a re-appointment at the Ministry of Justice.

Sackman’s funders

At the end of June, and just eleven days after Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield, Sackman registered two new donations, each of £1250, from veteran pro-Israeli bankroller Trevor Chinn.

Burnham continues Starmer’s legacy

Starmer will always be remembered for the military and diplomatic support he consistently lent to the Israeli state. But in December 2024, just over one year into the Gaza genocide, Sackman insisted that Starmer’s administration had “broadly got it right” on the issue of Palestine.

She made the comments in a public conversation with Adrian Cohen, LFI’s lay chair. Last Thursday, the controversial lobby group published a new paper suggesting that a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements is “practically and politically impossible”.

LFI-affiliated MPs continue to dominate the Labour cabinet. On the issue of Palestine, Sackman’s re-appointment sends a loud signal to those who thought Burnham might change course.

Featured image via Facebook

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel's genocide.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
Continue ReadingBurnham re-appoints former Israeli Supreme Court clerk as justice minister

Iran says it downed US MQ-9 drone in Ahvaz: Report

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A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone flies a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, in Nevada, United States. [USAF – William Rio Rosado – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from US officials on the claim.

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides trading attacks despite a Pakistani-mediated framework agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reaching a lasting peace deal.

READ: At least 6 missiles hit Iran’s Qeshm Island amid new US strikes

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Genocide denying former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue ReadingIran says it downed US MQ-9 drone in Ahvaz: Report

Palestinian woman dies after Israeli army delays ambulance for more than 30 minutes in Ramallah

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An ambulance is seen while Israeli military vehicles close entrances to the city after imposing a curfew as the Israeli army launches a large-scale attack in Tubas, West Bank on November 26, 2025. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

An official announced Saturday that a 30-year-old Palestinian woman who suffered a heart attack died after the Israeli army held up the ambulance carrying her for more than 30 minutes at a military barrier at the entrance to the town, Anadolu reports.

Mayor Mutez Tawafsha from the Sinjil Municipality, a town near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said in a video statement that an ambulance attempting to transport Sujoud Fuqaha, a mother of two, to the hospital was forced to wait for more than 30 minutes at the military gate before being granted permission to pass.

Emphasizing that time is critical in medical emergencies, Tawafsha said, “The woman needed to reach the hospital as quickly as possible in order to receive the necessary treatment. How many more innocent lives will these iron gates and military barriers continue to claim in the town of Sinjil?”

Footage showed Tawafsha standing in front of the iron gate, the ambulance waiting for the gate to be opened and permission to pass before transporting Fuqaha. It also showed medical workers making urgent verbal appeals for the gate to be opened in an effort to save her life.

READ: UN chief  ‘deeply alarmed’ by Israel granting city status to illegal settlement in occupied West Bank

Sinjil is frequently targeted by the Israeli army and occupiers amid Israel’s military control over the town’s entrances and severe restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinians.

Since October 2023, there has been a sharp increase in attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers who have seized Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

According to official Palestinian figures, 1,181 Palestinians have been killed, 13,000 have been injured and nearly 24,000 detained during the period.

A report published July 6 by the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli occupiers carried out 3,488 attacks against Palestinian communities during the first half of the year, including assaults, the burning of homes, shootings, land seizures, and the establishment of unauthorized settlement outposts.

Seventeen were killed in the attacks.

READ: West Bank: Israeli settler hits Palestinian child with car while playing in Hebron

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Genocide denying former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue ReadingPalestinian woman dies after Israeli army delays ambulance for more than 30 minutes in Ramallah

US strike on water desalination plant left about 10,000 without water: Iranian official

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An anti-U.S. banner featuring the inscription “You will drown in the sea of the Iranian nation’s revenge” is displayed on a building at Fatimi Square in Tehran, Iran, on July 16, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

A US strike on a water desalination plant in Iran’s southeastern coastal village of Bunji, in Hormozgan province, has left around 10,000 without water, a provincial official said on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

The attack “completely disrupted the supply of drinking water to 20 villages with a population of about 10,000 people,” Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim quoted the CEO of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company as saying.

“These villages are facing a water shortage crisis,” added the official.

Tensions have heightened in the Middle East, where the US and Iran continue to exchange attacks in recent days.

The military escalation comes despite a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding signed in June to end the war and reach a lasting peace agreement.

READ: Iran says it destroyed US unmanned depot, AI center in Bahrain

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Genocide denying former UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue ReadingUS strike on water desalination plant left about 10,000 without water: Iranian official