Green MP, Adrian Ramsay, has responded to Ed Miliband’s speech at Labour conference, where he said that parties that deny the dangers posed by the climate crisis are a threat to national security. The foreign secretary went on to ask: “Let us therefore ask each and every party, where do you stand on tackling the climate crisis?
Adrian Ramsay said “Ed Miliband is right to highlight the threat that climate breakdown poses to our national security – though the government is still to release all the evidence UK intelligence agencies have provided on this.
“The Foreign Secretary also asked today where each and every party stands on tackling the climate crisis. Good question.
“The Green Party is unequivocal: no new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. No green light for a third runway at Heathrow. And we want to see massive investment in upgrading our homes, cleaning up our energy system, and improving transport to tackle the climate crisis and cut people’s bills.”
“So we ask Labour: where do you stand on these issues?”
Greenpeace activists display a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters on July 27, 2023 in London. (Photo: Handout/Chris J. Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Margaret, 94, holds a sign outside Labour party conference, 27 September 2026. Harriet Williamson/Novara Media
But pensioners keep being arrested.
Ed Miliband has admitted that millions of Brits outraged by the oppression of Palestinians were “right”, speaking the day after dozens of peaceful pro-Palestine protesters were arrested outside the Labour party conference.
Miliband used his conference speech in Liverpool on Monday to say to those “moved by the plight of the Palestinian people”: “We hear you. You were right.” His words received loud, sustained applause from the audience.
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Corbyn told Novara Media that Miliband is “right to vindicate those who spoke up for Palestine” but highlighted that “people are still being arrested for doing exactly that, including people outside the very conference hall in which he made that speech.”
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Protesters, including pensioners, disabled people and a Church of England priest, held paper signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Merseyside police confirmed they had arrested 82 people on suspicion of wearing or carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R). [Photo/AA]
The 81st United Nations General Assembly session once again exposed a diplomatic rupture that has been taking place for several years. In his address to the world body, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deliberately refused to name Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a calculated diplomatic strategy that Turkish analysts describe as a “legal and moral quarantine” designed to strip the Israeli leader of any legitimacy or diplomatic standing. Instead, Erdoğan focused his remarks on Gaza, the Palestinians, and the dysfunction of the international system, calling for greater pressure on Israel and the recognition of Palestine as an independent state.
Netanyahu, by contrast, responded with a direct and personal attack. From the UN podium, the Israeli prime minister called Erdoğan a “tyrant,” accused Turkiye of being “the latest country to become a super spreader of antisemitic lies,” and claimed Ankara hosts the Palestinian Hamas resistance group leadership. He further incited against Turkiye, accusing it of “illegally occupying northern Cyprus,” violating the rights of Greece, and seeking to govern Jerusalem. However, as he started his speech dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber, reflecting growing international outcry against him and his government policy whether in Palestine or in the entire region.
Erdoğan’s response was swift and unequivocal. Speaking in Istanbul, he declared that the place for “war criminals” is not the UN platform but the courtrooms where they stand trial for their crimes.
The contrast in rhetorical strategy—one leader focused on the system and the principles, the other on personal attacks and aggressiveness—reflects a deeper divergence. The policies of each indicate that Ankara and Tel Aviv have reached an almost irreversible divergent point on every file of contention between them.
Already collapsing bilateral ties
The deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations has moved far beyond diplomatic rhetoric. In August 2026, Turkiye’s Justice Ministry formally requested that Interpol issue a red notice for Netanyahu and another Israeli official, following arrest warrants issued by an Istanbul court on 14th July 2026, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The case stems from Israel’s armed interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, which had set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that proceedings involve 35 defendants and that Ankara “will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or those responsible to be protected by a shield of impunity.” Furthermore, Turkiye also took economic measures against Israel, severing trade ties and closing its airspace to Israeli officials.
On the other side, Israeli officials don’t hide their enmity and incitement against Turkiye, according to Israeli media, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed that Israel has been working “openly and behind the scenes” to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye, stating that “Erdoğan’s access to weapons that would change the rules of the game must not be allowed.” Smotrich further claimed that “Erdoğan is a very dangerous man” and that “Turkiye, in its current state, is a very significant threat to Israel,” clearly adopting the language of an adversary.
In a retaliatory move, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and genocide in Gaza, ordered an official Israeli legal team this week to prepare a case against President Erdoğan over alleged Turkish policies against the Kurds and for hosting Hamas.
Netanyahu has neither the standing as himself a fugitive from international justice nor the legal basis to sue on behalf of the Kurds. It is nothing but a further demonstration of how Israel and Netanyahu are obsessed with confronting Turkiye.
The rift is most visible in the regional arenas where Turkish peace-building efforts directly collide with Israeli expansionism and aggression.
In Gaza, Turkiye has repeatedly expressed readiness to contribute to an international stabilization force, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirming Ankara’s willingness to send troops as part of such a mission. Yet Israel has categorically rejected any Turkish role. Netanyahu declared that Israel would not permit Turkish or Qatari soldiers to participate in the International Stabilisation Force. Fidan later confirmed that Turkiye had received no request to deploy forces, attributing this to Israeli opposition. While Turkiye seeks to calm the situation and support reconstruction, Israel blocks every Turkish effort.
In Syria, the dynamic is equally stark. Turkiye has invested heavily in supporting Syria’s transition and stability. Israel, by contrast, has expanded its military occupation in Syrian territory, including airstrikes on a military airbase near the Turkish border in August 2026, which Israeli officials claimed was intended to prevent Turkiye from expanding its military presence. The strike was widely interpreted as a direct message to Ankara that Israel will not tolerate Turkish influence in Syria. Netanyahu’s allegations that Turkiye sought to deploy troops in Syria—denied by both Ankara and Damascus—further illustrate the depth of Israeli hostility toward Turkish involvement in Syria.
In Lebanon, Turkiye has expressed readiness to contribute to post-UNIFIL security arrangements once the UN mission’s mandate expires at the end of 2026. Erdoğan stated that Turkiye wants to participate in any plan to support regional security and guarantee Lebanese sovereignty after the international force withdraws. Yet Turkish analysts note that Israel is “very unlikely” to agree to any Turkish role, and that it would veto such a role for Ankara. Israel has made clear it will spend significant diplomatic pressure to distance Turkiye from any post-war security arrangements in Lebanon.
On Cyprus, the confrontation takes a different but equally dangerous form. Israel has deepened its military partnership with Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA), signing a 2026 military cooperation plan that includes joint naval and air exercises, training, and strategic dialogue. Greece has acquired Israeli missile systems worth billions of euros, including the €3.5 billion “Achilles Shield” air defense system, and has approved the purchase of 36 PULS artillery systems specifically to strengthen its defense along the border with Turkiye. A trilateral rapid reaction force involving Israel, Greece, and GCA has been discussed with the explicit aim of deterring Turkish military activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. By this move, Israel is effectively seeking to encircle Turkiye through different schemes and tactics.
Conclusion: Recognizing the adversary
It is clear that Israel is doing everything in its power to harm and confront Turkiye, and it is no longer hiding these policies. From lobbying against Turkish F-35 acquisition to bombing supposed “Turkish interests” in Syria, from vetoing Turkish participation in Gaza stabilisation to building a military bloc with Greece and GCA against Ankara, Israel treats and classifies Turkiye as a strategic obstacle that must be contained and weakened.
Turkiye must recognise these adversarial policies and incitement for what they are, and to realise much more clearly that expansionist Israel – seeking to dominate the region – will go further in its hostility toward Turkiye.
This is not a temporary dispute that can be resolved through diplomatic means or restrained by bilateral agreements. The trajectory of Israeli policy points to an irreversible rift, whereby Israel would not stop from working against and harming all those it believes would stand against its expansionist designs in the region.
The question is no longer whether such rift is limited or temporary, as it has almost reached a point of irreversibility, with Israel having chosen confrontation in every sphere, necessitating that Turkiye fully recognize this reality, react accordingly, and prepare for a future in which confrontation is not merely likely, but inevitable.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
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Ed Miliband claims that he and Andy Burnham have reformulated Blair’s triangulation strategy. Their new formulation entails acknowledging that they were wrong on Israel and Palestine but entails doing absolutely nothing about it and continuing exactly the same policies hoping that you’re too stupid to notice.UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Israeli settlers fly flags over a home they seized from a Palestinian family south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank in August. Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
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The Guardian understands Miliband will say in his speech that the sanctions marked a definitive change in how Labour will approach the situation in the Middle East.
“I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people: we hear you, you were right,” he will say.
“And under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza. We call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. And we match words with actions.
The British government has not suspended or revoked a single additional arms export licence for Israel since announcing what Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described as a “double lock” on military sales, according to an investigation by Declassified UK.
Miliband announced a package of measures on 8 September targeting Israel’s illegal occupation and settlement activity. The measures included plans to prohibit trade with illegal settlements and refuse applications for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation of Palestinian territory.
However, responding to a parliamentary question from independent MP Iqbal Mohamed, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade confirmed that no further licences had been suspended or revoked since the announcement.
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Labour reformulates Blair’s triangulation strategy
This is how it works. Andy Burnham or Ed Miliband say “You were right on Israel and Palestine, we were wrong.” That’s 2 corners of the triangle.
The new formulation is “Having acknowledged that you were right and we were wrong, we’re going to continue in exactly the same way. We won’t do anything differently. Hopefully you’re too stupid to notice.”
Ed Miliband claims that he and Andy Burnham have reformulated Blair’s triangulation strategy. Their new formulation entails acknowledging that they were wrong on Israel and Palestine but entails doing absolutely nothing about it and continuing exactly the same policies hoping that you’re too stupid to notice.UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that his active support and that of UK’s air force has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband leaves 10 Downing Street following the first cabinet meeting of the new legislative session in London, United Kingdom, on September 08, 2026. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]
The British foreign secretary said the Israeli government is losing friends and allies because of its actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which he said have mobilized people around the world, Anadolu reports.
The “Israeli government is losing friends. It’s not gaining allies; it’s lost allies. It’s losing allies all over,” Ed Miliband said Tuesday in an interview with UK-based podcast The Rest is Politics.
He noted that the recent sanctions announcement targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank came after warnings that the two-state solution is being “destroyed by the facts on the ground.”
“All measures were to make a difference to that, the sanctions regime targeting the illegal occupation, not targeting or delegitimizing in any way the state of Israel,” he said.
“The status quo is not working,” noted Miliband, adding that Israel’s E1 settlement expansion project had long been seen as a “red line” for the international community “because it basically would split off East Jerusalem from West Bank (which) really makes Palestinian state unviable.”
He noted that the combination of the International Court of Justice’s 2024 ruling that Israel end its occupation, dismantle settlements and pay reparations; the length of the occupation of Palestinian territories; and the displacement of many Palestinians led the government to take that step.
“We can’t give up” in the face of “settler terrorism,” said Miliband, adding that he believes there is no stable Middle East without a two-state solution between Palestinians and Israelis.
“We have got to put a stop to settler terrorism, genuine terrorism, I used the term, ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists, that’s what is happening,” he said.
Miliband said before his sanctions announcement he thought what would his mother say, who died in May.
“She would say, ‘Look at what is happening to Palestinians! Look at what is happening to these poor people; it’s wrong,” said the foreign secretary.
Miliband said he recently met a group of people, including a doctor who worked in Gaza, and said it is “absolutely unspeakable” and “appalling” what they were saying.
He also said Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid entry into Gaza “seems like an absolutely deliberate strategy.”
“The situation on the ground is terrible,” he said. “Nothing can justify what has unfolded in Gaza.”
“Since the so-called ceasefire, 1,200 Palestinians have been killed. That’s not much of a ceasefire,” he said.
Miliband underlined that the UK can not give up in the face of “settler terrorism.”
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in Israeli elections on Oct. 27, but we are trying to send a very clear message to the Israeli people to say, ‘look, the international community is not going to stand by as this occupation proceeds,’” he added.
Miliband announced a series of measures last week, including a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements, sanctions on companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and additional sanctions on extremist Israeli occupiers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.
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.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
