‘Empty words cannot hide the truth’
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/empty-words-cannot-hide-truth
[Keir Starmer] … faces backlash for continuing to enable the genocide in Gaza
Maysara Adwan (left) mourns as she holds the body of her 11-year-old son, Qais, who was killed by an Israeli air strike on a school in Gaza that has been used as a shelter, during his burial at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, July 25, 2025… KEIR STARMER faced a backlash today for spouting empty words while continuing to enable the genocide in Gaza.
The Prime Minister, who is yet to enforce a full arms embargo on Israel, released a statement calling the suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza “unspeakable and indefensible.”
He announced plans to hold an emergency call with Germany and France to discuss “what we can do urgently to stop the killing.”
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, who recently tabled a public inquiry into Britain’s role in Gaza, responded on X: “Empty words cannot hide the truth: your government is complicit in genocide.”
On Wednesday, the government informed Mr Corbyn that the inquiry would be “unnecessary” and that it would be opposed.
The letter from the Foreign Office came just a day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly stated he was “appalled” and “sickened” by Israel’s actions.
When pressed on BBC Radio 4 about his limited response, Mr Lammy deflected criticism by praising his own “good record” — citing the restoration of funding to aid agency UNRWA, a review of Britain’s “bilateral roadmap,” and a partial arms embargo.
The embargo, enforced in September, suspended 30 out of 350 arms exports.
But an analysis of Israeli import data by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International and Workers for a Free Palestine found that Britain still exported 8,630 “munitions of war” to Israel after it came into force.
The Ministry of Defence admitted last month that is it training what it called a “limited number” of IDF personnel.
A Stop the War spokeswoman said: “Keir Starmer and David Lammy have been defending and enabling the indefensible for over 20 months.
“They are complicit in the genocide of our age. The blood of thousands of Palestinian children runs all the way to the door of Number 10.
“These are yet more empty words, entirely lacking in any commitment to anything that might help end the suffering of the people of Gaza.”
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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/empty-words-cannot-hide-truth
‘The Palestinian genocide threatens our entire multilateral system’
Relatives carry the body of 13-year-old Seraje Ebrahim, killed in an Israeli strike on a drinking water distribution point, for burial outside Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, July 13, 2025Over 30 nations to gather in Colombia to bring a halt to the genocide in Gaza
MORE than 30 nations gather in Bogota, Colombia tomorrow [today] for an “Emergency Conference” to bring a halt to the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who is attending the conference, said the gathering “will go down as the moment in history that states finally stood up to do the right thing.”
The conference is called by The Hague Group which was set up in January this year.
Jointly convened by Colombia and South Africa, The Hague Group’s co-chairs, the conference brings together 32 states including Brazil, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Spain, Turkey and Venezuela.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro described the conference as an opportunity “to move from condemnation to collective action.”
Ahead of the conference Colombia’s Vice Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir said: “The Palestinian genocide threatens our entire multilateral system.”
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Article continues, discussing
- US imposed sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Fransesca Albanese who is attending the Bogota conference.
- Attempts in UK Parliament by the standing group on atrocity crimes “to create a clearer legal obligation on the British government to prevent genocides, and to determine if one is occurring rather than leaving such judgements to international courts.”
- South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice alleging violations of the Genocide Convention by Israel.
- United Nations general assembly voting to take action on “Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” with a 12-month deadline to deliver concrete obligations — investigations, prosecutions, sanctions, asset freezes, and cessation of imports and arms.
- Former Israeli prime ministers Yair Lapid and Ehud Olmert describing plans to create a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza as amounting to interning Palestinians in a “concentration camp.”
- Increasing numbers of Palestinians getting killed by Israeli forces.
- More than 58,000 killed and 138,520 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s head resigns, says he ‘will not compromise on principles’
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Jake Wood, the CEO of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has announced his resignation, saying current conditions make it impossible to deliver aid to Gaza without violating basic humanitarian principles—something he refuses to do.
In his resignation statement, Wood said that the current circumstances make it impossible to deliver humanitarian aid without compromising “the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”
Wood also called on Israel to “significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms” while also urging “all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination.”
READ: Israeli army controls 77% of Gaza: Media office
He stressed that the only path to a lasting solution lies in the release of all hostages held by Hamas, a ceasefire, and a clear roadmap toward peace, security, and dignity for everyone in the region.
Not much is known about the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” which is supported by Washington and Tel Aviv and whose headquarters have been registered since February in Geneva, but the United States supported this foundation without revealing whether it contributes to it directly.
Jake Wood, the founder and outgoing CEO, is a former US Marine sniper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has expressed support for Israel on social media platforms in the past.
Israel continues its policy of systematic starvation against around 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza by closing border crossings to aid convoys, which have been stuck at the borders since 2 March. This has pushed the territory into a state of famine and has led to the deaths of many.
In recent days, the Israeli military has intensified its operations in both the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, announcing a new ground offensive.
READ: UN food agency calls for ‘sustained, daily’ flow of aid to stave off starvation in Gaza
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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