Keir Starmer’s failure of Palestine - explained

On 11th October 2023, Israel’s campaign of mass killing was in its first week. Starmer, the front runner to be the next Prime Minister, was interviewed by the British broadcaster LBC, asking for his comments on Israel’s actions in Gaza. He insisted they were justifiable. Fast forward to July 2024, and the former human rights barrister wins the general election in a landslide victory. At this point, 8 months into its onslaught in Gaza, Israel was on trial for genocide at the international Court of Justice, or ICJ. Following their predecessors, the new Labour government threw their weight behind Israel and the United States’ policy in the Middle East. November of that year marked over a year of genocide in Gaza, where Israel had killed more than 43,200 Palestinians and wounded over 101,000. At the time, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. As a signatory to the ICC, Britain is legally obliged to execute its warrants - something protesters had been calling on Starmer to do. Regularly polled, a majority of people in the UK wanted a ceasefire and an end to the UK’s unwavering diplomatic support and arms sale to Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Brits took to the streets, on a regular basis in support of the Palestinian people. But instead, Starmer’s government doubled down. In July 2025, it moved to proscribe direct protest group Palestine Action under the UK’s Terrorism Act. This placed the group that had never killed or attempted to kill anyone in the same category as ISIS and Boko Haram. Week after week, pensioners, veterans and holocaust survivors were filmed being dragged into police vans in mass arrests. By the end of 2025, the number of “terrorism-related arrests” in Britain had soared by 660 percent compared to the previous year. A typical profile of a British “terrorist” is now a woman, in her late fifties holding a placard at a peaceful demonstration. Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. This week Starmer announced his departure from office. Meanwhile, the Palestine Action case continues, the genocide case at the ICJ continues, and one is left wondering: what legacy has he left behind? Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @middleeasteye   Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at MEELive@middleeasteye.org Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Instagram:   / middleeasteye   Like us on Facebook:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Twitter:   / middleeasteye