Garbled language and contradictory statements are becoming common. When Keir Starmer was asked if cutting off water and supplies falls within international law, he said Israel "does have that right". Then, his party claimed he never said this. When Starmer said Labour would not recognise Palestine unilaterally, his shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, told the Financial Times Labour would consider it.
Nowhere are these contradictions clearer than when politicians express unequivocal support for Israel's actions while also expressing concern for civilians in Gaza. David Cameron said he was "worried" that Israel may have broken international law, but that this did not change the UK's stance on exporting weapons to Israel. Riddle me that. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that 7 October could not be taken as licence to "dehumanise" others, but his government chose twice to bypass Congress and provide more weapons to Israel.
This story is from the February 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the February 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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