(Left to right) members of Kneecap, Liam Og O Hannaigh (Mo Chara), JJ O’Dochartaigh (DJ Provai) and Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) attending the IFTA Awards Ceremony at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, February 14, 2025
IRISH rap trio Kneecap hit out today over the charging in Britain of one of the group’s members with a terrorism offence, branding it “political policing” and a “carnival of distraction.”
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged under anti-terror laws for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on November 21.
The 27-year-old is due to appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on June 18.
In a statement, the group said that “14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British Establishment is focused on us.
“We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves; this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction.
“We are not the story, genocide is. As they profit from genocide, they use an ‘anti-terror law’ against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage.”
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAUK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Members of an international diplomatic delegation scramble for cover after coming under Israeli fire during a May 21, 2025 visit to the besieged Jenin refugee camp in the illegally occupied West Bank of Palestine. (Photo: Mohammad Ateeq/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
Among those shot at were representatives of three nations that threatened “concrete actions” if Israel doesn’t end its assault and siege on Gaza and others that support a genocide case against the country.
Israeli occupation forces fired what they called “warning shots” at a large delegation of international diplomats visiting the besieged Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Wednesday, an incident many critics said was an attempt to intimidate countries that just two days earlier issued an ultimatum to stop annihilating Gaza and others that have joined a genocide case against Israel.
Palestinian officials were briefing a group of more than 20 diplomats about the crisis in the illegally occupied West Bank—where Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians including hundreds of children since October 2023 while pushing ahead with massive land theft and colonization—when they came under fire.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the delegation “deviated” from the route approved by Israeli occupation authorities “and entered an area where they were not authorized to be,” prompting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers to fire “warning shots to distance them away.”
“The IDF regrets the inconvenience caused,” the ministry added.
Israeli soldiers intentionally fired at a delegation of about 30 Arab & EU diplomats, ambassadors and consuls, visiting Jenin refugee camp, in the West Bank. Israel claims “it was an accident” and that they fired “warning shots” because they “felt in danger”. Israel was trying to intimidate them.
Israeli media reported IDF troops fired shots in the air. However, video footage of the incident appears to show soldiers aiming their guns and firing straight ahead in the direction of the diplomats as they scrambled for cover. Israeli officials have often been caught lying about the actions of IDF troops in Palestine.
The delegation included diplomats from the European Union and countries including Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Another video documenting the moment the diplomats and representatives from over 24 countries and the EU were intimidated by Israeli soldiers as they gathered in front of the besieged Jenin Camp. pic.twitter.com/5uJTOE9pRi
On Monday, three of those countries—France, the United Kingdom, and Canada—issued a rare joint statement condemning Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the ongoing Israeli campaign to conquer and indefinitely occupy all of Gaza and ethnically cleanse much of its population.
On Tuesday, the U.K. announced it is suspending negotiations with Israel on a free trade agreement, explaining that “it is not possible to advance discussions on a new, upgraded FTA” with a government “that is pursuing egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, his former defense minister, are wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza including extermination and forced starvation.
The U.K. additionally sanctioned three far-right Israeli extremists, including settler leader Daniella Weiss, as well as three illegal settlement outposts and two groups “that have supported, incited, and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.”
Also on Tuesday, European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas—who is the E.U.’s foreign policy chief—said the 27-nation bloc would review its political and economic agreement with Israel in light of the “catastrophic” situation in Gaza.
Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey have either joined or expressed support for the South Africa-led genocide case against Israel currently before the International Court of Justice—which last year found that Israel’s 58-year occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza is an illegal form of apartheid that must be ended as soon as possible.
France's Foreign Minister confirms that Israeli soldiers shot at EU ambassadors and diplomats in Jenin.
Had any other country done this, it would have been considered an act of war. Imagine if Russia had done this?
Israel’s 592-day assault and siege on Gaza has left more than 189,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing and over 2 million others forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called Wednesday’s “heinous crime” against the diplomats.
“The delegation was undertaking an official mission to observe and assess the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations perpetrated by the occupying forces against the Palestinian people,” the ministry said. “This deliberate and unlawful act constitutes a blatant and grave breach of international law and of the fundamental principles of diplomatic relations as enshrined in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Kallas said Wednesday that “any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable.”
“Israel is also a signatory to the Vienna Convention, I mean the obligation to guarantee the security of all foreign diplomats,” Kallas noted. “We definitely call on Israel to investigate this incident and also hold accountable [those] who are responsible for this.”
The governments of other countries whose diplomats were targeted on Wednesday condemned the incident, with some, including France and Italy, summoning their Israeli ambassadors.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAUK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
JEREMY Corbyn will table legislation for a Chilcot-style public inquiry into the UK’s role in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The Independent MP and former Labour leader will present the Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill on Wednesday, June 4, having secured a 10-minute-rule bill.
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In his letter to Starmer, Corbyn pointed to the Chilcot inquiry finding serious failings within the UK Government.
It said: “History is repeating itself. Today, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 61,000. Two Israeli officials are now wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Britain has played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations, including the sale of weapons, the supply of intelligence and the use of Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in Cyprus.
“Transparency and accountability are cornerstones of democracy. Therefore, we are demanding an independent, public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military assault in Gaza.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAUK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of staff during a visit to Leonardo, one of the biggest suppliers of defense and security equipment to the UK MOD, on May 2, 2025, in Luton, England. Henry Nicholls – WPA Pool / Getty Images
Pro-Palestine advocates say the announcement is a publicity stunt that will do little to end the genocide.
The U.K. government said on Tuesday that it is suspending free trade talks with Israel and imposing sanctions on some settlements in the occupied West Bank over Israel’s recent escalation in Gaza — an announcement being slammed by pro-Palestine advocates as “grotesquely inadequate.”
In remarks to Parliament, Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized Israel’s recent escalation of its assault on Gaza and its lengthy total aid blockade on the region. He said that Israel’s plan to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza is “morally unjustifiable” and “wholly disproportionate.”
“History will judge them,” Lammy said, ignoring the role of the U.K. and leaders of his own party in allowing Israel’s genocide to reach this point. “Blocking aid. Expanding the war. Dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible. And it must stop.”
He said that the government is levying sanctions on three individuals and four entities involved in settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
The announcement came after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “horrified by the escalation,” following a joint statement with the French and Canadian governments threatening “concrete action” against Israel and calling for a ceasefire on Monday.
The U.K. has been in negotiations for a new free trade agreement with Israel since 2022, launched under conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Lammy said the existing trade agreement between the two governments is still in effect.
The U.K. has long faced criticism from advocates for Palestinian rights for the government’s support of Israel.
The Labour government announced shortly after taking control last year that it was suspending 29 of the U.K.’s 350 arms licenses to Israel, in a departure from the conservative government. However, data analyzed by pro-Palestine groups has shown that the U.K. has exported thousands of munitions to Israel since the suspension took effect — raising questions over whether the U.K. continued supposedly suspended shipments of F-35 jet parts.
Advocates for Palestinian rights said that the government’s actions do not erase the U.K.’s deep complicity in the genocide.
“Today could be a turning point, where the government begins to undo the depths of its complicity in Israel’s genocide, by treating Israel not as an ally, but as a rogue state carrying out atrocities. Or, without further action, it will be recognised as just a last ditch attempt to salvage its reputation as a government that has enabled these crimes,” the group said.
“Suspending the trade negotiations is a positive step forward but without bolder action this will have little impact. Without suspending parts for Israeli F-35 fighter jets, the UK Government remains complicit in the deaths of thousands of civilians across Gaza,” said Halima Begum, Oxfam GB’s executive director, in a statement.
“The Foreign Secretary should now suspend all arms exports to Israel and impose a full package of sanctions on political leaders and settlers in Israel who are seeking to erase Palestine from the map,” Begum went on.
Meanwhile, following Lammy’s announcement, left-wing members of Parliament grilled Lammyto account for arms exports to Israel, which have soared under Labour, but he refused to answer.
“I just asked the Foreign Secretary why arms sales to Israel under this Labour government now exceed those under the Tories. He dismissed it as ‘clickbait,’” said MP Zarah Sultana on social media. “There’s nothing clickbait about genocide. He has Palestinian blood on his hands.”
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAVote For Genocide Vote Labour.
18-month-old Mayar El Arca is being treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza on May 17, 2025. (Photo: Doaa Albaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The limited entry of aid into Gaza cannot be mistaken for meaningful progress,” said one humanitarian expert.
The United Nations estimated that the Netanyahu government’s continued starvation of more than 2 million Palestinians could kill up to 14,000 infants in the next two days without a serious influx of aid.
News outlets have reported since Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed five aid trucks carrying baby food and other nutritional aid into the besieged enclave—but humanitarian experts and workers have decried the arrival of the aid as “a trickle among a sea of need.”
Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs for the United Nations, said the tiny amount of aid was a “drop in the ocean” in a bombarded enclave where food security experts announced earlier this month that nearly a quarter of a million people are facing “extreme deprivation of food” and the entire population has “very high” levels of acute malnutrition and excess mortality.
While many medical workers have been killed in Israeli bombings, Fletcher told the BBC‘s Radio 4 “Today” program that teams have assessed that 14,000 infants are likely to die within 48 hours if food aid can’t reach them. The small amount of trucks allowed in through the Karem Abu Salem crossing Monday—a fraction of the 600 per day that provided food, medications, water, and other aid to Palestinians during the recent cease-fire—have yet to actually reach civilians.
Aid agencies estimated before that 500-600 trucks were needed per day to meet the minimum need in Gaza, which has been under Israel’s total blockade for almost three months.
On Tuesday, 100 more U.N. trucks were given clearance to enter Gaza. Fletcher said humanitarian workers fear potential looting of aid trucks due to the chaotic, desperate situation faced by Palestinians.
The current blockade began March 2, and international humanitarian groups operating in Gaza have exhausted their reserves of food aid over the past 79 days.
“For over 70 days Israel has been starving the people of Gaza, depriving them of food, water, medicine, and essential supplies while escalating its cruel and indiscriminate bombing campaign,” said Wassem Mushtaha, Gaza response lead for Oxfam. “Two million people are on the brink of famine, and they are not just starving, but also traumatized, sick, and displaced from their homes.”
“The limited entry of aid into Gaza cannot be mistaken for meaningful progress, especially alongside the expansion of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign across the Gaza Strip,” said Mushtaha. “It is not a turning point, but at best a narrow concession that seems to reflect mounting international pressure.”
The continued blockade on effectively all humanitarian aid prompted the United Kingdom, Canada, and France to issue a joint statement Monday saying that “the level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable” and threatening “targeted sanctions.”
On Tuesday, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Parliament that the government had suspended trade negotiations over Netanyahu’s blockade and plan to expand military operations across Gaza.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Tuesday that the country also supports a review of the European Union’s trade relationship with Gaza.
“The blind violence and the blockade of humanitarian aid by the Israeli government have turned the enclave into a death trap, not to say a cemetery,” Barrot said. “This must stop… It is an absolute violation of all the rules of international law.”
The European leaders’ comments were a departure from many Western governments’ insistence since 2023 that Israel is operating in self-defense and that it is targeting Hamas in retaliation for the group’s attack on October 7, 2023. Humanitarian groups, rights experts, and progressive lawmakers have called on Western governments to end their support for Israel, which faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory and Gaza, said Tuesday that “what is urgently needed is for all crossings to be opened to allow a full and proper humanitarian response that allows real access, with safe corridors and respect for international humanitarian law.”
“A token convoy does not equal progress, only sustained, accountable access through every crossing will end the impunity that keeps aid from flowing,” said Khalidi. “We must also see an end to the relentless bombing and attacks on Palestinian people, with an urgent and permanent cease-fire, alongside justice and accountability for all.”
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAVote For Genocide Vote Labour.
(Left to right) members of Kneecap, Liam Og O Hannaigh (Mo Chara), JJ O’Dochartaigh (DJ Provai) and Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) attending the IFTA Awards Ceremony at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, February 14, 2025
